Disappeared
by bloodbender33
Summary: Larissa's life in suburban Chicago has been nothing but misery. When her best friend Macy sees this, she decides to send Larissa to a place that nobody thought was real. Once she's there Larissa loves it. However, later she learns that Macy's not actually the one that sent her there; Macy was only a tool. The real culprit is Avatar Wan, who has an important mission for Larissa.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have had this idea for a fanfiction for years now, and haven't decided to write it down until now. I don't want to give anything about my story away, so I will just let the story tell itself. Enjoy & Review! :)**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or anything related to it. (I only wish I did.)_

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** Prologue**

World of Nonbenders: Suburban Chicago

Larissa and her energetic friend Macy sit on Macy's stylish leather sofa, watching as the rain streaks down the large picture window. With the electricity out and with it completely down pouring outside, there is nothing left to do but stare at each other in boredom. Of course, even with nothing to do, Larissa loves being at Macy's house. It's much better than her mother's shabby single-bedroom shack on the other side of town. With her, her mother, and her three baby sisters crammed in tight, there's hardly enough room to breathe at times. If not for Larissa's dusty sanctuary in her home's basement she is positively certain that she would go mad. Right now, however, going mad is not a concern in the slightest. Why? Because this is Macy's house.

With eight bedrooms, an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, a butler, and everything else imaginable, Macy's house is heaven. Many times when Larissa goes here she likes to imagine that that she is Macy's younger sister. Being her younger sister she too would have her own room with a balcony, a flat-screen TV, and a walk in closet filled with beautiful clothes that aren't from Walmart. She too would have the best electronics available. She too would get to go to a private school, have a college fund, and have a future set for herself other than being a cashier at Burger King. If her name was Larissa McDaniel rather than Larissa Fredrickson all of this would be hers and more.

Unfortunately for Larissa, however, her fantasizing goes nowhere. In the end when the McDaniel's limousine driver takes her home the dream dies the moment she steps out of the lavish car and onto her front stoop. Larissa doesn't have a mansion or a butler or a college fund. Every day her life is a daily routine of waking up, getting her sisters' breakfast and getting them dressed, rushing them and herself off to school, getting teased and called "welfare trash" all day, and then going home and making an early supper before going to work at Burger King. Then she gets to drag herself the two mile walk home, go to bed, and start the cycle all over again the next day. It is only on those rare times when she doesn't have work or school that she gets to go over to Macy's and escapes from her life. What other American fifteen-year-old has to go through this?

For a second Larissa stares over at Macy's slim, curvy, persona garmented by a beautiful blue dress that Larissa could only dream of owning. Her high cheekbones and long flowing chocolate mane only make the dress look better. As she observes her, it happens all without envy. Rather it takes place with a deep yearning.

_'__Why can't her life be mine?'_ she asks herself.

"Wow. This really sucks," says the wealthy sixteen-year-old suddenly. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Coming out of her trance, she shakes her head. "Sorry, Macy," says Larissa. "I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

The girl shrugs. "Nothing really. It's just that I don't know what to do now that the electricity's out. I really wanted to finish that episode. The season two finale is my favorite!"

"Mine too!" Larissa replies with honesty.

Despite their vastly different lives, the two girls have had one thing in common since day one. Both of them are obsessed with the children's TV series' Avatar:The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. In fact, they were in the middle of watching the Crossroads of Destiny episode right when the power went out. Ironically, it happened while Azula was shocking Aang with lightning. It will certainly be something to laugh about at a later date. Although, at the current moment in time, the two girls remain bored beyond belief.

Trying to make a helpful suggestion, Larissa says, "Do you want to go swimming again? You never finished teaching me how to dive off of the high board."

"No," replies Macy. "Dad doesn't like me and my friends in the pool while he's at work."

It's not hard to see that Macy's words disappoint the younger girl. "Oh. Well, what about your laptop? I can watch you play Candy Crush."

"I would love to, but Molly got mad at me for wearing her limited addition wedges to school yesterday. As some type of sick method of revenge, she _'spilled'_ tea on my laptop and destroyed it."

"Macy, remind me not to mess with your cousin," Larissa states. Then she adds, "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but it's just _so _sad!"

The duo of adolescents burst out into fits of laughter. As they do, Macy interrupts them both with a thought.

"Hey, Larissa, I have a question. I love asking this question. It's so fun!"

She eyes her friend curiously. "This better not be the question you asked me last time about my crush and the Beauty and the Beast mirror. My answer will always and forever be the quarterback at my school. It'll never change."

Macy smirks. "That's not the question I meant. Although, that one's fun too…"

It's only then that Larissa's curiosity intensifies. "Really? Then what is it you want to ask?"

"Okay, here it comes." The dark-haired teen clears her throat. "If you could fall asleep one night and wake up somewhere else with a different life, where would you wake up at and who would you be?"

Larissa is taken aback. That's an awfully complicated thing to have to answer. Luckily she already knows the answer; she's known for a long time now. Finally she speaks.

"If I could, I would want to go to bed and wake up in Avatar Aang's world. I'm not really sure who I'd want to be, though. A mysterious stranger, maybe? I don't know."

"Really?" asks Macy. "Why not The Legend of Korra? I thought that you'd want to go into Korra's world and make yourself into Iroh II's wife!"

She laughs. "True, but I connect with Avatar the Last Airbender better. Plus if I stayed there and lived out my life I would get to see Republic City get built, see the Southern Water Tribe modernize, and maybe get to be Zuko's wife! Fire Lady Larissa does sound pretty nice!"

Macy scoffs. "Oh, come on. _Everybody_ wants to be Zuko's wife! What about Sokka or maybe Haru?"

"Hmmm," the fifteen-year-old ponders. "Haru I could live with, but not Sokka. Sokka's hilarious, but I can't see him as a husband. I'd marry The Boulder before marrying Sokka."

"The Boulder?Seriously? That's sick!"

"Hey, don't judge me. Actually, I prefer Jet, but he was killed by Long Fang so that wouldn't work..."

Suddenly the two teens are no longer so bored. They go on talking like this for the rest of the afternoon until the rain clears up. Of course by then it's five thirty at night and much too late to do anything; at least if you're Larissa it is. She has to go home, make dinner, and help her youngest sister, Darcy, write a book report. Once all that's over there's still dusting to do, floors to mop and vacuum, dishes to wash, and children to read bedtime stories too. With her mother working second and third shifts constantly there's little time for anything in the evenings. Tonight when the McDaniel's limo driver drop her off at her tiny little home Larissa releases a very long sigh before letting herself in.

* * *

The Next Evening

Another long Saturday at Burger King passes Larissa by in almost slow motion. So far it has been one of those days that makes a person want to curl up in a corner and quit on life. Yet, Larissa knows she can't. Every dollar she earns is another dent in the heating bill. If not in the heating bill, in the gas or electric bill or in the grocery bill until the months food stamps kick in. Unfortunately for this family, every penny has to count. Especially since her father quit paying child support nearly a year ago. Until that sorrowful event none of them had known the true definition of the word "poor".

Rubbing her lower back, Larissa turns the key in the doorknob and steps inside. The sight of her twelve-year-old sister, Sarah, reading the two youngest daughters a chapter of Junie B. Jones relieves her. Yesterday when she got back the house was an absolute wreck. At last Larissa's three siblings spot her.

"Larissa!" they rush up to her with a bout of inquiries and demands. Seven-year-old Darcy and nine-year-old Amy are by far the most demanding. Then again, this is no different than any other night.

"What's for dinner?" asks Sarah

"Can we have fish sticks?" Darcy pleads.

"Gross, I hate fish sticks!" shouts Amy. "I want pancakes instead!"

"After my bath I want to pick the story. Amy always gets to pick the story!" shouts Darcy.

Immediately Larissa feels a headache coming on. As the minutes pass and the girls don't cease their shouting she yells out in irritation.

"Enough! Shut up and stop your whining right now!" Larissa shouts. "Sarah, go finish reading Junie B. Jones to Darcy and Amy while I cook we're having canned peas and mac n' cheese. Anyone that doesn't like it will have to starve. Have I made myself clear?!"

At first there is a moment of subtle complaint. Fortunately all it takes is a sharp glare from their older sister to get them to obey. Once they do, the night goes on like it always does. They eat their dinner, get their homework done and baths taken, and eventually go to bed. By the time it's all over, Larissa is collapsed on the living room's raggedy futon,where she sometimes sleeps with Sarah, in exhaustion. The adolescent isn't showered and her teeth aren't yet brushed, but she doesn't care. Sleep calls to her. That, however, is when the wall phone in the kitchen rings.

"Ugh. Who could that possibly be?" the laborer groans as she trudges across the sticky tile floor.

The moment it comes off of the receiver she instantly knows who it is. It's the manager at Burger King. "Mr. Douglas! Hi! I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting your call."

The older man's voice is gruff. "I'm sorry to call you at such a late hour, Ms. Fredrickson, but this is a matter of utmost importance."

"Yes, Mr. Douglas. I'm certain it is. Might I ask what you're calling about?"

"I just called to tell you not to come in to work tomorrow," he replies morbidly.

Larissa's pulse increases by several notches. "Oh? Okay then. Can I come in on Tuesday then, as scheduled?"

"No," he says. "Ms. Fredrickson, you're misunderstanding. What I'm telling you is that you shouldn't come in tomorrow or _ever_. I'm afraid we have to let you go."

Her pulse increases and then it feels like it stops. "What? You're firing me? You can't fire me! I have three baby sisters to help support!"

"Look, I understand that, Ms. Fredrickson. It's just that, another person sent in an application. Someone who happens to be much better qualified than you are. Faced with the circumstances, there's no other choice than to give you a layoff. A _permanent_ layoff."

Too much in shock to say anymore, Larissa drops the phone and lets it hang there by the cord. Ignoring the sound of her boss calling, _"Hello? Ms. Fredrickson? Hello!"_ she walks to the futon and sits down. And then she cries.

* * *

Five Days Later

The little room in the basement containing the water heater has never felt so wonderful to Larissa. This corner, this place of confinement and marvelous solitude, is the only place she feels she can go. After telling her mother about the layoff from Burger King the woman in her early forties fell into a type of distress. After distress, anger came.

"What did you do?!" her mother demanded. "You did something to make them fire you! You screwed something up didn't you, you fool?! Tell me now or you can consider yourself disowned!"

All Larissa could do was stand there speechless. She doesn't know what she did nor if she even did anything. At work she slaved away as hard as she could and was polite to every customer. There was never a single complaint about her from a customer or a coworker. The reason for her layoff was just a much a mystery to her as to her mom. To her surprise, her mother believed her.

In tears, she said to her eldest child, "I know you didn't do anything. I'm sorry I yelled at you, pumpkin. I'm just so stressed out. Having those jerks up there fire you is the last thing I needed. I don't know what we're going to do to pay the bills now, sweetheart!"

Even after her mother apologized and shared her feelings, however, it still didn't feel like she'd truly been forgiven. For some reason, despite the fact that she knew her mother could never be truly angry at her for this sort of thing, Larissa still felt like a failure. Currently, five days later, nothing at all has changed. Nothing anyone can say or do can stop the oldest Fredrickson child from feeling like she's let down the whole family. Because of this, Larissa hasn't left this little room once. While her mom and each one of her sisters has been down to try and coax her out or deliver her food, nothing works. Each time they ascend the stairs without the girl and a plate filled with untouched nourishment.

Leaning against the wall across from the tall white water heater, Larissa lets out grief-stricken sobs. Her stomach grumbles demanding something to eat, but she doesn't even notice. Her wheat-colored hair hangs in long, oily, ringlets in front of her face, adorning blood-shot eyes that are a frightening shade of sapphire blue. Fathoming the full extent of how awful she must look, the teenager shrugs.

_'__I hate my hair, anyway,'_ she thinks. _'It's the same ugly color as a hamburger bun at Burger King.' _

Shifting positions, she begins weeping again. That is, until she hears a soft tapping on the door followed by a small voice.

"Larissa, I don't mean to be annoying, but I have something for you."

"Darcy," she says, "I don't want anything to eat. I'm fine. Now go upstairs and leave me alone."

"It's not that," Darcy explains. "A package came from the McDaniel house. It says it's for you. I think Marcy sent it."

Larissa sighs, thinking of a way to get her to leave. "Okay, Darcy, fine. Just slide it under the door and go away. Please. I want to be alone."

There's a pause before a thick manila envelope is pushed under the wide gap. Picking it up, the young woman eyes the label. Sure enough, Darcy's facts were straight. It is addressed to her and it is indeed from the McDaniel household. As she scans the foreign object the sound of tiny footsteps climbing the stairs echo through the basement room. Deciding that there's nothing to lose from opening the package, she tears it open. Inside is another set of envelopes. One being very thick and another extremely thin, she goes and tears the thin one first. Unsurprisingly, it's a short letter.

In Macy's flawless cursive, it reads:

_Dear Larissa,_

_I'm sorry about what happened. I called the other day and Sarah told me everything. I understand you're depression, but it isn't healthy for you to go days on end without eating or bathing. I would go over there and drag you out of the basement myself, but knowing your stubbornness, I already know that it would prove quite useless. So instead I've sent you a gift that I hope will cheer you up at least a little bit. For now, I pray that this present will help you come out of this depressed stupor and for the future allow me to say that it will all work out. It will work out better than you could ever imagine._

_Your friend, _

_Macy_

Rolling her eyes, Larissa shoves the note back in the envelope and shoves it aside. Wondering about what the gift could be, she takes the thick envelope and tears it in open in a flurry. To her surprise, two dozen of her personal chef's famous triple-chip chocolate cookies fall into her lap, each one individually wrapped. Only when she picks one of them up and smells their fantastic scent does she realize how hungry she truly is. After unwrapping it, the delicious treat is gone in three bites. Once that one's gone Larissa downs ten more before finally feeling satisfied.

Shrugging, Larissa is about to put another cookie up to her lips. However, she doesn't get the chance. For some unknown reason, a sudden bout of dizziness overtakes her followed by a migraine of unbridled intensity. Collapsing on the floor in fetal position, the girl starts rubbing circles into her forehead. Somehow this only makes it worse. Head throbbing and dizzier than she'd ever thought possible all the girl can do is plead for it to go away. As Larissa does thisan endless fog overwhelms her along with what seems like a hallucination.

Standing before her amongst a thick fog is Macy. Her long dark hair falling in a heap around her shoulders, Macy stares at the suffering girl and smiles innocently.

"Don't worry, Larissa. Once the pain is over you're going to be fine. I've watched your suffering; for years I've watched it. It's only now that I've found the solution."

"Solution?" Larissa asks in hoarse whisper. "What solution?"

Macy tears up. It takes a moment for her to realize that their tears of joy rather than of sorrow. "The solution you've been waiting for your entire life. I'm putting you out of your misery. Within the next five minutes you will officially be disappeared. Your miserable life will be over and you will have the one you've always dreamed of."

"What?"

"I could have done this to myself rather than to you, but instead I chose to be a good friend. Once you've disappeared to your world of choice you'd better thank me. After all, your memories and everything will still be intact."

"Macy, what's happening to me?!"

She smiles happily. "You're going to a place you've only ever dreamed of."

Macy fades as does her innocent, joyful, smile. The dizziness and throbbing manage to gang up and overtake Larissa. Once it does, everything suddenly turns cold. It is a type of freezing chill that most people don't normally get to feel. Before processing this, however, everything turns black.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, this is the official first chapter of Disappeared. The last chapter is technically the prologue. If you haven't read it, I suggest that you go back and do so. If not, some part of my story might not make sense. Also, I know that this is slightly off topic, but I watched the season 3 premier of Korra last night and it was awesome! I loved seeing old man Zuko and his super awesome dragon! Long live Fire Lord Zuko! ... Okay. Now that that's off my chest, enjoy the story! :)**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or anything related to it. _

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Chapter One

The World of Benders: Southern Water Tribe

The brightness of the midnight sun shines in through the gaps in the animal skin tent's entrance. Lifting the lid off of the pot, Katara stirs the stewed sea prunes to perfection. Meanwhile, the young girl's grandmother sits off to the side mending her grandson's pants. Unsure of the meal's consistency, the dark-skinned tribal girl brings a spoon of the steaming liquid to her lips before carefully replacing the lid.

"Dinner's almost done, Gran gran. It has to stew for a few more minutes," she says with a smile.

The elderly woman, Kana, eyes her granddaughter, looking pleased. "Good. Thank you for your help, Katara. It's much appreciated."

Giving a pleasant nod, the fourteen-year-old goes and sits at her grandmother's side. "I got the sea prunes perfect this time. If Sokka still doesn't like them then he'll have to start doing his own cooking!"

At the mention of her grandson, a look of subtle bewilderment crosses Kana's face. "Speaking of your brother, where has he gotten to? He was supposed to be back here an hour ago."

At this, Katara gives an amused smirk. "There's nothing to worry about, Gran gran. He's probably out doing the same thing he's been doing all week."

Kana arches her gray-colored brow in curiosity. "What would that be?"

* * *

Sokka stares out from his spot behind the large snow bank, wielding his spear and his trusty boomerang in anticipation. He watches the polar leopard as it digs into the remains of an arctic hen, trying to cognitively decide the perfect moment to strike.

He whispers to himself while licking his chops. "You're not getting away from me this time."

Deciding that the time is now, Sokka jumps out from his hiding place with a loud war cry. Aiming the little metal toy (or as he likes to call it, a "weapon") he tosses it at the animal. Sensing his approach, however, the animal manages to dodge it and jumps into a sprint over the whitewashed hills. The causes the boy to give out loud protests.

"No! Get back here you stupid beast! I'm hungry!"

Against his better judgment, Sokka hopelessly runs after the animal in pursuit. His little sister must be proven wrong! Without a second thought, he trails the animal. Surprisingly, this is done quite successfully too. That is, until a hill much larger than all the others comes into view. Understanding the weakness of his predator, the polar leopard uses superior speed and agility to dash over the mound and out of sight. Yet, Sokka doesn't give up.

Grumbling aloud, Sokka trudges upward. "Stupid polar baby sister. I am, too, good at hunting! This'll show her."

It takes several minutes, but at long last Sokka manages to reach the top. By then, sadly, his prey is far out of sight. Mumbling incoherent rants, he plops down in the snow cross-legged and stares out into the horizon. Normally one would be concerned about being caught out in the wilderness after dark, but it would take sitting here for the next five months for that to happen. Bored and irritated the Water Tribe boy moves his gaze from the horizon to the snowy cover below. Disappointingly, there is nothing at all resembling the coat of a polar leopard. Upon closer observation, however, something else is discovered. The smallest speck of black mingled with royal blue can be seen at the very base of this large hill.

"Huh?" Sokka says in question.

Getting up from his spot, Sokka paces down the hillside carefully so as not to fall. The closer he gets to the area the more the object comes into view. No longer does it look like a shapeless lump. The black and blue areas turn into articles of clothing; clothing made from a strange kind of fabric that he's never seen before. It looks nothing at all like animal skins, nor does it resemble Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom attire. From the strange material emerges something of an even stranger nature.

Buried inside what looks like a thick, black, hooded shirt are arms and a head positioned face down in the snow. Inside of the dark blue, rough-looking pants are two legs. Realizing that this is not an object, but a person, Sokka starts sprinting. Reaching the oddly-dressed human, the sixteen-year-old kneels down beside her. Yes, Sokka has managed to identify this person as a _'her'_. Not knowing what else to do, Sokka flips the woman over in order to see her face.

The woman, more a girl than a woman really, has the whitest skin a person could imagine. It reminds Sokka of the snow itself or of the tusks of an arctic seal. Removing his glove, he decides to feel the girls face to test out exactly how cold she is. Upon doing this, Sokka looks down at her in shock. The girl isn't cold at all. In fact, he would dare call her warm. Besides the pale skin, other features such as full, pink, lips are noted along with a tiny little nose. Her hair, however, is concealed by the black hood. It's only based on the few pieces that stick out that he knows it's a very odd color. He'd compare its light coloring to something, but nothing can be thought of. Not knowing what else to do, Sokka attempts shaking her awake.

"Hello?" he says. "Hey, you fell asleep in the middle of the Southern Water Tribe wilderness. I don't know if you knew this or not, but this isn't a real good place to nap. You'd better wake up."

The pale-faced girl doesn't move an inch.

"Uh…hey… I said you should wake up. You should do that…now…"

The stranger remains as frozen in place as a statue, putting Sokka in a potentially frightful situation. The girl obviously won't wake up, so he can't exactly ask her how she got here. Otherwise they could probably work something out. Being that she's as still as the dead, however, that isn't much possible. Of course, he can't just leave her here either. Yet again, what would Katara and Gran gran do if he just showed up with some oddly dressed girl passed out in his arms?

Confused about the course of action to take, Sokka looks down at the adolescent girl. Her blank, sleep-filled, features tell him in his gut the proper thing to do. Bending over, the boy with the short ponytail scoops her up into his arms. Although she's not as small or as thin as Katara, she is by no means heavy at all. Having a mission in mind, Sokka treks home filled with purpose.

* * *

Kana and Katara's azure irises widen in surprise at the sight of Sokka standing tall in the flimsy structure's doorway, a young and oddly-dressed woman wrapped in his arms. Concern lines his features along with confusion. A few seconds pass and the same can be said for the two women occupying the dwelling. Each of them takes a turn looking over the unconscious female before Katara speaks.

"Sokka," she says, "What's going on?"

On instinct, Kana moves to grab warm pelts and an extra sleeping bag before placing them in front of the fire. As she does Sokka lowers the girl and tucks her inside the bundle, meanwhile explaining the story to them both.

" Okay, you won't believe this. I was out looking for an animal to hunt when I found this polar leopard."

Katara rolls her eyes. "You mean the same polar leopard that you've been trying to kill for a week now?"

Sokka nods, telling the story _exactly_ the way it happened. "Yeah, that , I was hot on his trail. I was catching up to him, and my spear was just an inch away from his back. I was ready to stab him and bring him home for dinner, but I didn't get to. I was only seconds away from killing the polar leopard at the crest of this hill when I spotted something at the bottom. Because of my curiosity and my love for animals, I decided to let the polar leopard go and go check it out. Once I got to the bottom, I found this girl passed out face down in the snow. I didn't want to leave her there to freeze to death, so I decided to bring her home."

Kana observes the girl in bewilderment. "I'm glad that you found her, Sokka. Otherwise she might have died."

A moment passes before Katara voices a very important question. "Who is she, though? I don't recognize her from the village."

"Neither do I," Sokka confesses. "Now that I think about it, this could be a trap. The Fire Nation could have dropped her here as a spy and the temperature could've been too much."

Katara sighs in aggravation. "Oh, Sokka! Look at her! If the Fire Nation did send a spy, there's no way it would be some girl! They would have sent a highly trained soldier or something."

The Water Tribe boy simply shrugs. "Hey, you never know."

While the two siblings continue bickering, Kana removes the girl's hood in order to inspect the stranger more closely. The instant she does she jumps back feeling repulsed. Instantly she interrupts the siblings' argument.

"Sokka, you'd better go to the neighbors to see if they can spare some clothes. Then you should stand outside for a while."

Kana's abrupt statement causes the two to forget their disagreement for the time being.

"Why?" he asks unknowingly.

"Whoever this girl is, she's been lost for a while. She needs a good bath and something else to wear." To her granddaughter she says, "Katara, why don't you help undress her while I heat up some water."

With that being said the boy runs for the door, neither his sister nor his grandma looking up to watch him retreat.

* * *

The Next Day

The odd scent of what smells like snow mixed with some strange new type of soup Sarah concocted helps bring Larissa back to consciousness. How she got from the basement to the living room she doesn't know. Flipping over onto her side, she reaches out to grab the futon's ragged mattress. The moment she does, however, something isn't right. Running her hand over the fabric again it occurs to her that it isn't the mattress with hole-spotted sheets she's laying on. Instead all that can be felt is the softness of an animal's fur.

Not having any idea as to where she could possibly be, Larissa sits up and opens her eyes. This would be the time when the young pauper feels her heart stop. This is not her single bedroom shack and this is not suburban Chicago. Really, this doesn't look like America either. This place might not even be planet Earth.

Surrounding her is a medium-sized enclosure with tan-colored fabric for walls. A tent, Larissa deduces. At the room's center, about four feet to her left, is a fire pit with an iron kettle boiling over the the floor and the walls are what look like blue-colored animal pelts. These cobalt furs are sewn together to make the sleeping bag she was previously slumbering in. Looking down at herself, she makes a shocking discovery. Larissa's black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans are gone. In their place are dress-like robes and a heavy fur parka, all created from blue animal skins. Strange. These clothes almost look like they're from…

Everything returns to her memory in a whir. The package from the McDaniel house; the letter from Macy; the cookies that gave her the terrible headache; that awful hallucination of Macy in the fog that seemed so real it was frightening; she remembers it all. It's only now that she can recall the last words she imagined Macy saying.

_ "__You're going to a place you've only ever dreamed of."_

At that, Larissa takes in a sharp gasp. Head spinning from shock, she whispers a confession. "I wasn't hallucinating. This is all _real_!"

Unable to sit for a moment longer, the girl jumps to her feet. Feeling slightly confined, she comes to understand that clothes are missing other than just the sweatshirt and jeans. By the feel of things, there are wrappings beneath these clothes rather than a bra and panties. That's when another question occurs to her.

_'__Oh my gosh!'_ she says mentally. _'What tribe am I in? Who found me? Who washed me?!"_

That's when a noise comes from the doorway behind her. All it takes is turning the ninety degrees around for all of Larissa's questions to be answered. Standing before her is a girl who looks to be no older than fourteen, wearing the same kind of blue parka she's wearing. Larissa recognizes her instantly, thinking the entire time that this is impossible. Maybe it was a hallucination. This could all be a hunger-induced dream, right?

Not knowing what else to do, she gives her upper arm a hard pinch. Red hot pain shoots through her arm. Unfortunately, this doesn't work to wake her up. Reaching out in front of her, she feels the tent walls, which are also made from animal skins. Thinking back to a few seconds ago, she was also able to feel her bindings, the animal furs, and was able to smell the soup and the snow. Never in the history of her dreams has she ever been able to use her smell or touch senses. So…

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Larissa asks herself aloud.

Katara, thinking the question was meant for her, answers cheerfully. "No. Of course this isn't a dream! You got lost out in the wilderness. It was my brother Sokka who found you and brought you back to our Tribe."

Larissa studies Katara's smiling face, still slightly in disbelief. Although, considering the evidence that's laid out in front her, not as much as before.

"Where am I?" she asks biting down on her lower lip. Secretly the answer is already known.

"You're in the Southern Water Tribe. My name's Katara, by the way. What's yours?"

Larissa ponders this. She would give away her own name, but Larissa Fredrickson sounds so foreign. Not just to the Water Tribes, but to their world in general. She'd make up a name, but she's not even sure what part of the world she should pretend to belong to. After all, there isn't a single nation in this dimension that has people with blonde hair. Then again, her eyes are blue. If she wanted to, Larissa could claim to belong in the Northern Water Tribe. Of course, considering that nobody up there would remember her if they so happened to show up here, that doesn't seem like a good idea. Still, with the bright shade of her blue eyes, a Water Tribe name could fit. In these blue clothes, she probably looks as closely related to one of the four nations as she can possibly get.

That is when a name pops into the fifteen-year-old's head. Hannah. Larissa has always loved the name Hannah. Whenever she and Macy would try to come up with names for their future children when they were little, she always said that she would name her future daughter Hannah. All the name needs is a bit of tweaking to make it fit.

"Hana," Larissa says. "My name is Hana."

"Hana," says Katara. If possible, her smile broadens. "You're Water Tribe! I told Sokka you weren't Fire Nation!"

The older girl chuckles at the statement in surprise. "_Fire Nation?_ I'm not Fire Nation! I'm not entirely certain that I'm Water Tribe, but I know for sure that I'm not Fire Nation!"

Larissa bites her lip in aggravation at what she just said. Katara looks at her in puzzlement.

"What do you mean you don't for sure that you're Water Tribe?"

Not knowing what to do or say, she rushes to make something up. "I mean that I don't know," she says. "My parents deserted me at an orphanage near the Earth Kingdom when I was a baby. Nobody knew what nation I was from. The lady at the orphanage saw my blue eyes, assumed I was Water Tribe, and named me Hana."

Katara ponders aloud. "Oh. That makes sense." After a slight pause, she asks, "If you grew up in the Earth Kingdom, how'd you get all the way over here?"

Larissa shrugs, trying to appear convincing. Based on Katara's reaction, she seems to be doing well. "I got tired of the orphanage, so I ran away and did some traveling. I never got to see snow when I was little. Because of that, I've always wanted to visit one of the Water Tribes. I got enough money for a boat ride, but after the boat dropped me I… kind of got lost…"

Katara nods eagerly. "Great! I'm so glad to hear you say that!" The Water Tribe girl edges toward the door. "Don't go anywhere. I have to go find my brother and my grandmother. They have to meet you."

Larissa, now Hana, chuckles again. "Okay. Get your brother. Let's put his mind at ease so he knows that I'm not here to roast you all."

The waterbender rushes out the door and into the cold, leaving Larissa alone again.

* * *

Dinner was an interesting event that evening. The three members of the Southern Water Tribe were gathered around the fire pit in the tent eating arctic hen along with Hana, trying not to stare. While the foreigner didn't exactly eat like a hog, it was obvious that she was absolutely ravenous. Before she'd woken up and after they'd bathed her and changed her clothes, Katara and Kana had noted that she'd seemed rather bony for her medium-sized frame. With the parka covering her though, nobody could tell. Anybody else who watched her eat this way would probably assume that the adolescent girl enjoyed food.

With curiosity almost too great to bear, Sokka speaks up.

"So, the people that ran the orphanage just went and assumed that you're Water Tribe?"

"That's right," Hana confirms in between bites.

Shrugging, he replies, "Oh well. As long as you're not directly from the Fire Nation I guess it doesn't matter."

"That's the way I see it," says Hana. "I couldn't imagine being in the same bloodline as those... war-obsessed monsters."

Sokka smiles as he chomps into his own food. "You know, I'm glad we see eye-to-eye."

Next it's Katara's turn to speak. "So, now that you've seen snow, is there anywhere else were you planning to go?"

Hana is silent for a long time. Her eyes turn deep, as if pondering something that's light-years away. It takes a while, but at last the silence breaks. "I'm not entirely sure what I want to do now. To be honest, I like the village here. The children are wonderful! But, I don't want to be a burden on you either."

"Oh, Hana, you're not a burden!" Katara exclaims. "If you like it here, then stay."

The pale-faced girl ponders this. "Stay? It's as simple that?"

For the first time in a long time their grandmother speaks. "Yes, I believe it is as simple as that. Seeing as you don't have a family, you're welcome to stay here in the Southern Water Tribe."

Hana smiles in relief. "Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality. If you want me to, I can help earn my keep by doing some chores."

"Actually," says Kana, "that would be perfect. Having one more person help out would lighten the workload for all of us."

Katara's whole face brightens. "Then Hana can stay?!"

"Yes, Katara. Hana can stay. As long as she does as she's promised."

"I will," promises Hana. "Count on it."

* * *

Sokka's not sure if he can trust Hana. For some reason her story seems kind of off. Why would Water Tribe parents drop off their child at an Earth Kingdom orphanage? Better yet, what kind of fifteen-year-old girl goes wondering across the countryside and hitching a ride to the Southern Water Tribe alone? If all she wanted was to see snow, then why did she come to the southern tribe at all? If she wanted to experience cold weather that badly, she could've gotten a ride to the northern tribe much easier. Not to mention how much nicer it must be over there. The Southern Water Tribe is nothing but a ghost town made out of ice and fur pelts.

Based on the look on Gran gran's face, it's obvious that she's also feeling weary of this foreigner. Why the elderly woman decided to let her stay Sokka could never guess. Nor will he ever understand how Katara is so trusting of her. Yet again, his baby sister is never one to consider the danger that could be lying just around the corner like he and Gran gran. Does she just feel the need to spend time with another girl her age? Who can tell? However, despite all of these uncertainties, Sokka is absolutely certain of one thing.

Over these next few days he absolutely must keep track of Hana. And he must do it without drawing the light-haired adolescent's suspicion.

* * *

**Monday**

Katara and Hana spend time boiling water for laundry. Within the past few days it has really built up. While boiling water, Hana sort the clothes into three separate piles: Katara's clothes, Sokka's clothes, and Gran gran's clothes. Next time laundry get's done there will have to be four piles. Meanwhile, Sokka is sitting by the tent entrance listening.

"Thanks again for getting me some extra clothes, Katara," says Hana. "I really needed them."

"It's fine. The people in the village like you, so it wasn't a problem," says Katara cheerfully. "I'm sorry about Sokka's clothes, by the way. I have no idea how he gets his shirts and socks to smell so awful."

Slapping a palm to his forehead, Sokka rolls his eyes.

Hana laughs. "It's okay. Trust me. I've smelled things much worse."

Katara, too, gives a chuckle. "Worse? What could possibly be worse than Sokka's soiled linen?!"

"At the orphanage," she replies, "I used to help with laundry a lot. There was this seven-year-old girl who always managed to get mud _everywhere_!"

"I don't know. That still can't be worse than Sokka," says Katara. "What was her name anyway?"

Sokka's ears perk up. Here it comes. If she says one wrong thing, then the ruse is over!

"It was really odd," Hana says slowly. "I think Darcy was her name."

Sokka gives a grunt of irritation before walking away. They're getting nowhere at this rate. It doesn't matter though. He'll catch her in the act tomorrow.

**Tuesday**

Now Katara and Hana are busy at work doing the mending. With Gran gran's occasionally shaky hands, mending can be a difficult task. Especially since Sokka's clothes seem to multiply in holes every time her returns from "hunting". This time, however, Sokka sits right inside the tent with the girls eating from a bag of dried seal jerky. The two teenage girls chat away to each other as if Sokka isn't even there.

"Wow, Hana, I didn't know you could sew so fast. Not only that, but your stitches are perfect."

Hana grins, feeling flattered. "Thank you. I guess being in charge of three rambunctious little girls who are constantly getting into mischief would give a person the talent very quickly."

"Were you only in charge of three?" inquires Katara.

"Well, it was mainly those three. Sometimes there were others. Really, I wasn't even in charge. It's just, being older, I sometimes had to step up and help a little bit."

Something happens in Hana at that moment. Katara doesn't seem to notice, but Sokka does. Ever so slightly, Hana faltered. Suddenly, Sokka feels like he has an opening.

"Really?" he says trying to sound casual. "Who were they? Do you remember?"

"Not most of them," Hana admits. "There were so many children in and out I can hardly remember them at all."

The blue-clad boy smirks internally. "What about the three little girls? You were in charge of them constantly. You _must_ remember them."

Hana does nothing but stare at Sokka, clearly in puzzlement. Or at least it appears that way to Katara. All her brother can see is a slight nervousness.

"I do remember them," she says at last. "The three girls were sisters, and had very odd names; they were Sarah, Amy, and Darcy."

The Water Tribe boy takes this in. "Hmm. Those are some pretty weird names. How old were they? Can you remember?"

"Of course I can," she says. The puzzled look never leaves her face. "Sarah was twelve, Amy was nine, and Darcy was seven."

"Hmm… That's interesting. What about—"

At this point, to both of their surprises, Katara interrupts angrily. "Sokka, stop questioning her! What exactly are you trying to prove?!"

The sixteen-year-old shoves another piece of seal jerky in his mouth. " at all."

**Wednesday**

Tonight Gran gran got tired at took a nap. It nearing meal time, Katara and Hana decided to do the elder a kindness and prepare dinner. The two girls sit around the water-filled kettle, cleaning sea prunes and plopping them in. Once all of them are cleaned it's time for the pot to get hung up over the flame. This time Sokka spends his time off to the side sharpening his boomerang, listening to the girls converse.

"I _love_ stewed sea prunes! I can't wait for you to try them!"

"I know," Hana replies cheerfully. "I can't wait to try them either! I'm not picky, so I'm pretty sure I'll like them."

"I wonder what the food is like in the Earth Kingdom," Katara says. "It must be different."

Hearing this, Sokka peeks up for a second. He notices as Hana's shoulders stiffen and then relax. For the shortest moment, his boomerang is sat down beside him. Once he hears what Hana says, however, he goes right back to sharpening it again.

"It is different," the pale-faced girl says. "I've never tasted the fancy stuff, but I know that the Earth Kingdom has stuff like rice balls and noodles. They have a lot of vegetables and meat too. I wouldn't know what they taste like, though. At the orphanage they fed us mostly soup and bread."

Katara beams. "It sounds interesting in the Earth Kingdom. I wish we could go there someday."

"Who knows? Maybe someday soon you'll get to see the Earth Kingdom and more. Maybe we all will."

"That would be nice," Katara says dreamily. At last she asks, "You've seen parts of the Earth Kingdom, though. What's it like?"

"It depends mostly on where you go. Omashu and Ba Sing Se are nothing but walls and buildings. Then there are remote villages where there are forests, mountains, and deserts. There's a lot in the Earth Kingdom."

"Wow," says Katara in wonderment.

For some reason, a reason unknown even to him, Sokka gets irritated. It might be because this girl Hana is such a good liar. It might be because she seems so sweet and innocent. Or it could be because, despite all of Sokka's core, inner, beliefs, Hana seems to be telling the truth. Unable to hide his feelings, Sokka stands up abruptly and stomps toward the exit.

"Sokka, where are you going?!" shouts Katara.

The boy sporting the warriors-wolf-tail mutters a response. "Outside."

* * *

Larissa is very quiet at dinner that night. Not because she's sad and not because she's confused, but because she's thinking. At the very start when Macy sent her here Larissa was frightened beyond belief. Being trapped in an alternate dimension with people that aren't supposed to actually exist is, after all, a very scary situation. During the past few days, however, the fear has completely drained away. Doing chores and spending time with Katara is some of the most fun she's ever had. At first she wasn't sure if Kana liked her, but it seems as though these feelings have vanished and she has gained the old woman's favor. She has, in fact, gained the favor of the whole village.

Another thing that surprises her is that within her own complex lie of growing up in an Earth Kingdom orphanage there is almost nothing but truth. Almost everything Larissa has told Katara about the "orphanage" is true, as are the facts about the Earth Kingdom and about her life. Really, the only lies are the orphanage itself, her supposed heritage, and her name. Even the facts about what she used to eat for dinner are the truth. On the nights when they weren't having mac n' cheese or fish sticks, they were having bread and canned soup.

Somehow Katara know that Larissa can be trusted. For this, Larissa is extremely thankful. However, Sokka is dead set against her. Why, she doesn't know. If only he would take the first step to trusting her they could become fast friends. However, the Water Tribe boy doesn't want to take that step. It is only here, sitting in this tent quietly eating the surprisingly _delicious_ sea prunes, that Larissa knows she has to change that.

* * *

**Thursday**

Sokka gives up. After the work she's put in these past three day and after the kind way she treats everyone, even Gran gran trusts Hana now. He tried talking Gran gran against trusting the foreign stranger, but it didn't work. She told Sokka that he's being overly paranoid and that Hana is harmless. It is because of this that he is spending his evening hunting. Or rather, sitting stooped on top of a hill wishing he were hunting. Oddly enough, it is the very same hill where he found Hana five days ago. Realizing this, he releases a long, deep, sigh.

"Why don't you like me?"

Sokka lets out a loud shriek at the female voice. So deep was he in his thoughts, that he hadn't even heard anyone approach. Looking behind him, he sees the face of Hana.

Sokka lets his pulse drop back down before he speaks. "Don't do that to me! My heart almost gave out!"

Hana frowns slightly. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he says turning his back to her.

The girl with the pale hair goes and sits down next to him. It's only right now that she has her hood down that he sees that her hair is arranged differently. Before all of it was left loose and hung down around her shoulders. Now, however, she sports a small braid on each side of her head, the two pieces coming together to form a knot in the back. The rest is left hanging down as before. It only shows how much time Hana has been spending with his sister.

Making a strong effort to ignore the fifteen-year-old, Sokka shifts his gaze to the snow banks below.

"It's not okay, is it?" she says. "I know that you don't like me, but do you have to be so blunt about it? Couldn't you at least be polite?"

His attempt at disregarding her fails miserably. Soon Sokka finds himself looking directly into her wide, blue eyes. Her azure irises are brimming over with hurt rejection, and her full pink lips are forming a bewildered sort of pout. Immediately the skinny young man feels a pang of guilt followed by regret. Suddenly, it's like Hana is no longer the enemy at all.

"I'm sorry," Sokka confesses. The sincerity flowing from his voice surprises even him. "I guess I'm just not used to strangers appearing out of nowhere. With the war going on, I guess I just assumed the worst."

"It's fine," states Hana. "When you've been stuck in the middle of a war and are automatically used to mistrusting foreigners it's an easy thing to do. I guess I shouldn't be so easily offended."

Even if Sokka would have jumped to end the conversation here before, he doesn't want to anymore. "That isn't true. You've been trying to prove yourself to us since day one. In fact, you proved that you could be trusted the moment you volunteered to earn your keep. Gran gran told me this morning that I was being overly paranoid."

Hana grins. "Well, yeah. You were. I am obviously not a fire bender." After a slight pause she adds, "But all is forgiven."

Sokka returns her subtle grin with one of his own. "Good. Now that all is well, I guess I now have a second little sister…"

She laughs impishly. "Yeah, I guess you do."

That's when Sokka's grin fades. "Just to set something straight, you and Katara had better not pull any pranks! I mean it. One little sister was bad enough!"

Hana's laugh only grows louder. "Now that you just said that I have a half mind to try it. Katara and I could really come up with something good!"

He shoves an index finger at her. "Hey, I'm being serious! Don't' you dare!"

Her laughs never cease. When she hears a noise, however, she actually does cease. Although, this specific noise doesn't sound like a person. It sounds more like a type of animal.

"What's that sound?" she asks.

Sokka hears it too and begins shushing her.

"Sokka, I don't understa—"

"Get down!"

Grabbing Hana by the small of her waist, he tugs her behind the hill and out of sight.

"I don't believe it!" Sokka whispers in awe. "The polar leopard actually came back!"

The pale girl smirks mischievously. "Don't tell me this is the same polar leopard Katara told me about. You'll never catch it, Sokka."

He shoots her a determined glare. "Katara's gotten inside your head. Let me tell you right now that my baby sister is wrong. I am an _excellent_ hunter, and I _will_ catch that polar leopard!"

Once the words are spoken Sokka jumps out from behind the hill and runs down the other side with a thundering war cry. Just like he does every other time he tries killing the animal, he tosses his boomerang at it. Also like all of his other attempts, the beast senses his approach and retreats, causing the young warrior frustration.

Flinging his boomerang to the ground, he stomps on it harshly. "Gah! Why won't that stupid beast die already?!"

Meanwhile, Hana is at the crest of the hill bursting into guffaws. "Is that what it was like last time before you rescued me? You know, when you were mere centimeters away from it with your spear and planning on bringing it home for polar leopard stew?"

Sokka cheeks turn bright red. "Yea.. Well, no… Who told you about that?!"

"Katara. She told me every single detail about how you found me."

If possible, the boy turns even redder. Eventually Hana decides to descend the hillside to join him.

"You know, you probably could kill it if you wanted to. If you'd only change your tactics, you probably could've gotten it on your first try?"

"Really?" asks Sokka hopefully. "How?"

"Stop screaming every time you go after it!"

"Oh."

It's silent for a long time. Neither adolescent makes a move for home. At long last Hana speaks.

"You know, it's only late afternoon. Katara and I got all of our chores finished. Since I have some extra time, do you want to go hunt down the polar leopard?"

* * *

A Few Hours Later

Katara stares at Sokka and Hana, mouth hanging agape. Although their grandmother tries to hide it, she too is very surprised. Once the two women get past their initial shock they hand out amazed smirks.

"Well, my dear grandson, I guess you managed to hunt the polar leopard after all. I underestimated you."

Even with her wide smile, Katara still looks stunned. "No offense, Sokka, but there's no way you actually got it. I'm betting that Hana's the one that killed it and that you were the bait."

Offense fills his voice as he shifts the dead animal's position against his shoulder.

"Hey, I did too kill it! It just took a very useful tip from Hana."

"See? Hana is the one that killed it," Katara points out wickedly.

Shrugging, the girl decides to help her fellow huntsman out. "Actually, Sokka really is the one that speared it. He just took my advice to do it."

"Yeah," says Sokka. "And, Katara, you've been right the whole time. Hana, here, is a genius!"

Arching her brow critically, Hana stares. "Sokka, I only told you to stop screaming when sneaking up behind it."

"I know, right? It's pure genius!"

The women shake their heads at him before leaving and walking inside the tent.

"Leave your kill outside for now, Sokka," says Gran gran sounding pleased. "Later we'll have to skin it and make some new pelts. Not to mention, some polar leopard stew."

Swiftly, he does as he's asked before running in after them. From there the evening passes them by in a blur. The skinning goes quickly, as does preparing and eating supper along with getting ready for bed. It's only as they're going off to their separate sleeping enclosures that Sokka asks a random question. Seeing as the chores are light tomorrow and that Hana and Katara have been working all week, Gran gran should probably give a satisfactory response.

"Hey, Gran?"

"Yes, Sokka?" she says from her place tidying up the tent.

"I was wondering, since there's enough room in the canoe, can Hana and Katara come fishing with me tomorrow?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, this is the official first episode "The Boy in the Iceberg". I didn't want to drag it out too long before hand. The major plot development and the foreshadowing doesn't start up until next chapter so for now, please enjoy. Also, please review. I'd like to know what you're all thinking in regards to the story's development through constructive criticism. If you have any advice, feel free to give me some as long as it isn't rude. For now, enjoy the story and happy summer! :)**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. _

* * *

Chapter Two

Katara shoves the last of their supplies in the canoe. Extra parka's, food, spears and fishing poles, everything looks to be in order. The three children shove the boat down into the water, Gran gran looking on contentedly. Once the tiny buoyant object is floating steadily each person steps inside carefully so as not to tip it.

"Goodbye, Gran gran," Katara calls. "We'll be back by this evening."

Gran gran nods. "Okay. You children enjoy yourselves."

That being said, Sokka pushes away from the ice and begins paddling. For once he's glad he let his baby sister and Hana tag along. Alone, fishing is rather boring. With other people, however, it can be made more fun; especially if he can teach them useful survival skills such as catching a fish. As he paddles, Sokka turns around halfway.

"Okay, ladies," he says. "Today will be not just a day of fun, but a day of educational enlightenment."

Katara rolls her eyes. "Oh brother."

Shaking her head, Hana says, "Whatever you say, Sokka."

At this, the loaned man turns around further still. "You two ladies doubt me now, but just wait. Today, you will get to see how a _warrior_ catches a fish."

His sister smirks mischievously. "Okay, Sokka, fine. But if you get two fishhooks stuck in your thumb, remind me to give you a third one this time, okay?"

"Oh, you had to bring up _that_ incident didn't you?"

Hana too wears a smirk, although she's slightly confused. "What?"

"Oh," Katara says, the roguish grin never leaving her face. "This should be a fun story to tell."

Before her brother has a chance to protest, Katara jumps right into the embarrassing tale. Deciding that nothing can stop her now, Sokka turns around to continue steering their little vessel. Somehow, even though his sister can be annoying, he decides that he's right. This will turn out to be a fun day.

* * *

"It's not getting away from me this time." To the girls he says, "Hana, Katara, watch and learn. This is how you catch a fish."

Sokka has his spear pointed down at one of the scaled creatures, preparing to puncture it. Larissa is ready to watch the young warrior stab it and conquer it. However, Katara taps her lightly on her shoulder.

"Hana, watch this."

Removing one of her gloves, Katara motions a hand toward the water. A few milliseconds later a perfect orb of liquid rises up from the sea and into the air. At its center is a fish. Larissa gasps in disbelief. In the five days that she's been here, she's never gotten to see Katara waterbend. Now that she's getting to see the girl use her bending live and in person, it's almost unbelievable.

_'__I, Larissa Fredrickson, am getting to watch Katara waterbend right in front of me.'_

She understands how insane this would sound to anyone back in her world, but at this point she doesn't care. All Larissa can do is sit back and watch in amazement.

"You got it, Katara!" Hana exclaims.

Katara smiles before summoning her older brother. "Sokka, look!"

He simply shushes them. "Be quiet! You two are going to scare the fish!" To himself he whispers, "I can already smell it cooking."

Pushing Sokka's command aside, she does her best to draw his eyes. "But, Sokka, I caught one!"

"Come on, Sokka," pleads Hana. "Katara got one! Look!"

Now the watery orb floats just above the canoe. When the Water Tribe Warrior raises his spear, however, it doesn't stay that way for long. Popping the orb containing their dinner, the fish escapes and Sokka is drenched in the sea's salty liquid.

"Hey!" Katara exclaims.

Hana also shows her irritation. "That's not fair!"

Sokka pays the girls words of aggravation no heed. Rather, his thoughts are stuck on his water-covered clothing.

"How is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?!"

Larissa raises a brow at the sequence of events laid out before her. Somehow, this all looks far too familiar… Inside her head she guesses what Katara is about to say, keeping her own dialogue out of the scene.

"It's not magic, it's water bending! It's—"

Sokka cuts her off. "Yeah, I know. An ancient art, unique to our culture, blah, blah, blah. Look, if I had crazy magic powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

Anticipation runs through Larissa's veins, her guess being one-hundred percent correct. This is it! She is with Sokka and Katara, wearing Water Tribe clothing, and living through the very first episode of Avatar the Last Airbender. The excitement is almost too much to bear! Shaking it off so that the two siblings don't notice, she continues watching on. Pushing up the sleeve of his parka, Sokka flexes and smiles down at his reflection.

"You're calling me weird?" says Katara. "I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water."

Larissa chuckles before actually looking at Sokka's arm. Really, the TV series doesn't do Sokka much justice. While he isn't exactly muscular, his arms are better toned than one would expect. Unfortunately for her, she gets caught staring.

Giving a wide, manly, grin, Sokka makes a statement. "You're one to talk, Katara. Hana doesn't seem to mind it."

Larissa blushes scarlet. Feeling embarrassed, she jumps to defend herself. "I'm not gawking, if that's what you're thinking. It's just that, your arm isn't as skin-and-bones as I expected it to be."

He looks slightly offended. "You thought my arms would be skin and bones? I work out! There's more muscle here than you could ever imagine!"

In a huff, he pulls his sleeve down. However, there isn't much time to be angry. Just as Larissa had been expecting moments before, the water is no longer an open space. Directly in front of them is a large area covered by large chunks of ice. With the current pulling the canoe swiftly along, they find themselves heading straight for the large, icy, pieces

"Sokka, look out!" Larissa shouts.

Seeing it, Sokka goes into a panic and begins to paddle. He successfully misses the majority of them, but this doesn't stop Katara from yelling out suggestions in a panic.

"Go left! Go left!"

Again Sokka manages to dodge most of them. However, this doesn't prevent the canoe's rear end from getting caught in between two masses. Because of the sudden impact, the three teenagers are flung from the canoe and land on a large icy platform. They would go back for the canoe and get themselves out of this situation, but sadly it is completely totaled. The wind knocked out of her, Larissa stumbles to her feet.

"Wow. That's gonna be sore in the morning," the fifteen-year-old says to herself. Temporarily forgetting what being stranded on this iceberg means next, she voices her thoughts. "What we're going to do now, I have no idea."

Irritation is written on every inch of Sokka's persona. "Well, maybe if Katara would have _waterbended_ us out of the ice, maybe we wouldn't be here," he grumbles.

Wiping snow off of her parka, Katara gives her brother a sharp glare. "Oh, so now this is my fault?!"

The Water Tribe boy groans. "Why did I decide to bring the two of you? Leave it to a couple of girls to screw things up."

The water bender's glare turns to boiling anger. Knowing what her friend is about to do, Larissa moves closer to Sokka. Even though she should technically be frightened of Katara's anger as well as be offended by the comment that was just made by Sokka, she finds herself excited. With the large iceberg sitting behind the irate girl perfectly in her line of vision, Larissa is brimming with internal exhilaration. Knowing that Katara has to get angry in order for this to happen, she does nothing to stop her.

Waving her arms around lividly, the Water Tribe girl starts to rant. "You're the most sexist, immature, — I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! It's only since Hana's showed up that I've gotten a break! How is it that a mutual stranger we met five days ago will step up and help with the chores and you won't?!"

The iceberg behind this floating chunk of ice begins to form wide, lengthy, fractures. Sokka's eyes turn wide with fear while Larissa tries hard not to look thrilled. Based on the fact that it's created rough waves, thus making her struggle to keep her footing, this is being accomplished quite well. Meanwhile, Katara continues on with her raving.

"Hana and I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever _smelled_ your dirty socks? Let me tell you, _not_ pleasant!"

Sokka's eyes are now three times wider than normal. The iceberg's fracture grows wider by the moment, releasing the sound of a thundering crack.

"Katara, settle down!" Sokka pleads fearfully.

"Forget it! I'm done helping you and so is Hana! From now on, you're on your own!"

That is when the loudest crack of all sounds off, the massive chard breaking into three or four different pieces. As it falls apart small tidal waves are felt, causing each of them to lose their balance. The three of them simply lay there, watching it all play out.

"You have gone from weird to _freakish_, Katara," Sokka states.

Katara stares at the scene, features painted over by shock. "You mean _I _did that?"

"Yup. Congratulations."

Once the waves settle down they work their way back up to their feet. Katara is the first to get up, going to the piece of ice's edge to stare at the thing she's created. Meanwhile, Sokka catches his balance again and then helps Larissa get to her feet as well. The whole time Larissa's eyes are on the same spot at Katara's. In the center of the iceberg, sitting in a cross-legged meditation position, arrows on his hands and forehead aglow, is _him_. Directly above _him_ is a gigantic, legged, mass, most likely his pet. Suddenly the boy's eyes pop open, glowing just as brightly as his arrows.

Inside of her mind, Larissa is going fangirl crazy. _'Oh my gosh, it's Aang! I get to see Aang wake up from his hundred year sleep! I, Larissa Fredrickson, get to actually see Katara bust him out of the iceberg! This is the single best moment of my life!'_

Right then, Katara says her expected lines. "He's alive. We have to help!"

Jerking Sokka's machete right from his grip she jumps from this piece of ice to another, using the smaller piece of ice as skipping stones until reaching Aang's frosty confinement chamber.

"Katara, no! We don't know what that thing is!" her brother exclaims

Sokka chases her down in the exact same manner. Realizing that she's the only one left standing here, Larissa decides to follow. Stepping from one piece of ice to the other, the blonde-headed girl realizes that this is much more difficult than it looks. Terrified of slipping and falling head-first into the freezing water, she tiptoes from piece to piece rather than hopping like Sokka and Katara had done. By the time Larissa is halfway there a gigantic, blinding, beam of light is already shooting up into the air as steam pours out from the fracture Katara has created. Desperately wanting to reach them now, Larissa picks up the pace. By the time she's on the same iceberg as the rest of them, the little monk is wrapped up in Katara's arms staring into her pretty face.

"What?" Katara asks. "What is it?"

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?!"

This causes Larissa to smile. No longer does her grin root from joy, but rather, it comes from thankfulness. Instead of being back in Chicago struggling to survive she's here in the Southern Water Tribe. Her life was so useless back in her own dimension. Here in Avatar Aang's world, even if it's in the smallest of ways, maybe she can make some kind of a difference.

* * *

Thanks to Aang, the three of them have a way back home. While Sokka doesn't like the idea of floating back to the Southern Water Tribe on the back of a six-legged, gigantic, furry creature with a little bald airbender Katara and Hana somehow seem fine with it. Now, just a couple hours away from reaching the tribe, Hana, Katara, and Aang are fast asleep. Sokka, however, remains completely awake. He couldn't sleep on the back of this thing even if he tried.

Not knowing what else to do, he goes back and forth between playing with his boomerang and staring off into space. How Sokka will explain this to Gran gran he hasn't the slightest idea. Not even a week ago he gets back from hunting carrying an unconscious girl with odd clothes and strange pale hair and now he comes back from fishing with an airbender and his pet "flying" bison. Great. This is just great. Maybe next time he can go out in his canoe alone and come back with Fire Lord Ozai.

Of course, now that he's gotten to know her, Hana isn't so bad. Besides her hair, the adolescent girl is completely normal. Really, Katara needed to be around another girl her age anyway. Besides, Hana isn't at all like Aang. Not even close. She isn't immature and goofy acting neither is she a potential threat. Admittedly, it was pretty stupid to have ever considered Hana a threat. After all, it wasn't Hana that made the giant beam light up the sky. If that wasn't a device meant to signal the Fire Navy, then he's Katara's pet moose-lion.

"Can't sleep?"

Gazing three feet to his left, Sokka sees Hana shift positions so that she's sitting up.

Cradling his boomerang in his lap, he replies. "Not really. Not on this giant fluffy beast, anyway."

Putting down her hood, Hana moves closer. "You don't have to be worried, you know. It'll be alright."

"How can you tell me that? You don't even know what I'm worried about."

"Yeah I do," she replies. "You don't think Aang can be trusted, but Katara and I think he can. He is an airbender, after all. Maybe he knows what happened to the Avatar."

"Didn't you hear him?" Sokka says in bafflement. "He told Katara that he didn't know the Avatar."

Hana shrugs. "He seemed kind of nervous to me. Maybe he's holding out on us."

"Maybe." There is a momentary pause before he continues. "I'm still not sure about him, though. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Neither one of them says anything after that, marking the conversation as over.

"Okay. Goodnight, Sokka." Moving back to her spot, Hana lies down. "By the way, you should try to get some sleep."

"I will," he promises emptily. "Goodnight, Hana."

Sokka watches her until her breathing turns deep and even, and until her chest begins rhythmically rising and falling. He knows by now that Hana can be trusted. Still, he sometimes feels that the light-haired, pale-faced, girl knows more about life than she lets on.

* * *

The Next Day

Larissa can't get over how much the Southern Water Tribe children love Aang. Although this was depicted in the TV show, it's very different seeing it play out in real life. So much happens in between the scenes that were shown on screen Larissa finds it unbelievable. Right now would be an excellent example, considering how she and Katara are gathered toward the back of the throng of little people.

"…and that's how you do the air scooter!"

The young airbender goes up and down hills and banks of snow at practically light speed, the sphere of air spinning at an impossible rate. As he does this the children clap and cheer very loudly, as if watching an amusing American film.

"Do the flying again!" one of them shouts.

"Okay!" Aang says. "But first, let's see if I can go even faster!"

To none of their surprises, it ends out that the little monk actually can go faster. The spiraling ball of air doubles in speed, as does Aang. It's amazing to think that just a few hours ago all of the villagers along with their children were staring at the tattooed boy like he was an alien from outer space. It seems like after Katara's introduction, however, everybody has lightened up on Aang. Or at least the children have. Their parents as well as Gran gran are still very leery.

_'__Geez,' _thinks Larissa. _'And I thought that they had trouble accepting Hana.'_

"Wow, look at him go!" cheers a small girl.

Another shouts, "I wish I could be an airbender!"

Aang gives a wide goofy grin and waves. However, this distracting action is just enough to cause him to run directly into Sokka's watch tower. Too bad for Aang, this just so happens to be the fourth time today. Then, like all the other time this has happened, Sokka runs over from wherever he is to assess the damage. Larissa is starting to wonder if he has some sort of telepathic connection with that thing.

"Ugh. Not again!" he exclaims in despair. "For the last time, be careful with my watch tower!"

Scrambling toward it, he begins piling on snow in a sad attempt to repair it. The fact that the poorly-built structure hasn't already collapsed stuns her and Katara both. The children flee the scene along with Aang, most likely going away to watch another trick. Meanwhile, Larissa wonders over to watch Sokka do his work with Katara close behind.

"Sokka, why don't you just give up on it," Katara says. "It just isn't meant to survive."

"Oh no," says Sokka. "My watch tower is meant to live. The problem here is that Aang is determined to destroy it!"

That being said, Sokka continues packing on the snow. Knowing that they still have chores to get done, Larissa and Katara leave him alone and go back to their tent. It's already midday and the mending won't do itself. From there several hours pass in a whir. Katara finishes her half of the mending and goes outside to find Aang. Larissa does her share of the mending and then goes through Katara's pile to touch up hers. With the airbender on her mind, Larissa doubts that she's actually doing quality work. Once all of that is done she folds all of the clothes neatly and puts them in separate piles for each person; Sokka's pile, undoubtedly, is the largest.

Finished, Larissa stands up. Now that there is no more work, she hasn't the slightest idea what to do. Normally she spends most of her time with Katara, but that's quite impossible seeing as she's off with Aang somewhere. Knowing the episode, they're probably penguin sledding. Within the next few hours that flare will probably get set off, Aang will go away temporarily, and Prince Zuko will be on his way here. That last part causes Larissa to grin. How much hotter is Zuko in person, she wonders?

Oh well. She'll find that out when she finds out. For now, Katara and Aang are gone and she's bored to death. Then it hits her. Toward the beginning of the second episode it shows Sokka in the village when Katara and Aang return in shame. Maybe he's around here somewhere. Sure Sokka isn't her idea of a best friend, but now that they know each other better maybe they can think of something to do. Besides, he's probably just as bored as she is right now.

With a goal in mind, Larissa steps out of the tent in search of the pony-tailed Water Tribe boy.

* * *

"That is the importance of being a Water Tribe man. When the Fire Nation comes, we don't surrender. The Water Tribe fights until the last man standing. If we don't, how can we call ourselves men?"

Sokka looks into the face of each and every one of his warriors. With Aang gone off to who-knows-where regrouping his men and capturing their attention has been made much easier. Hopefully they stay gone for a good long time.

"Do I have any questions?"

One small boy, slightly paler than the others, raises his hand. This pleases Chief Hakodah's son immensely.

"Ah, yes, brave warrior. Ask away," Sokka commands with a proud grin.

"This is boring. Can I go penguin sledding with Aang?"

His proud grin turns to an aggravated frown. "No. Playtime is over! Your fathers raised you to be proud warriors! Remember, we're not children, we're men!"

Sokka is so distracted in lecturing his baby-faced soldiers that he doesn't even notice Hana walking up behind him. Then again, he never notices when Hana approaches him.

"Actually, Sokka, they really are children."

At the sound of her voice half of the throng gets up to crowd around light-haired woman, further irritating Sokka.

"Hana!" they say in a jumbled unison.

"Sokka's being annoying!"

"I'm so bored!"

"Can we go play?"

"Please, Hana?"

She gives them all warm smiles. "Yes, go on. Go play."

They let out whooping cheers before dashing off for the hills. Once all of them are gone, Sokka gives the girl a sharp glare.

"Seriously, Hana? It took me forever to regroup them! We didn't even get through the basics. Today the lesson was how to sharpen your spear."

Rolling her eyes in amusement, she smiles prettily. "Oh, Sokka, lighten up and let them have fun. In a few years they'll all turn into bitter adults. Right now just let them enjoy their childhood."

"Fine."

He trudges past her and flops down in a nearby snow bank. To Sokka's surprise, Hana sits right down next to him. At this point his irritation turns to vague curiosity.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asks simply. "Shouldn't you be off with Katara doing girl stuff?"

"I would, but she's off somewhere with Aang and I'm too lazy to go find her. Of course, that leaves another problem."

He turns so that he's looking her in the face. "Really? What?"

"I'm bored," she states flatly. "I didn't know what else to do, so I came and found you."

This causes Sokka to smile. "Oh. Well I'm flattered that you decided to come to me. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Hana says lying back in the snow. "You seem like the creative one."

There is a long moment of silence. Eventually Sokka, too, lies down in the snow until finally coming up with an idea.

"Do you still want to see how to catch a fish?"

* * *

"Okay, Hana, you're doing great. Aim your spear just like that."

Rather than taking Hana out on the canoe, Sokka took her out to the ice's edge. Further out where there are tiger seals there are also holes where they come up for air. The air holes are so large that five men could fit in them at once, making it a perfect fishing spot. If there is one think Hakodah always taught him, it's that you can catch most of your fish right here at home.

"But why do I have to use a spear?" asks Hana. "Can't I just use a fishing pole?"

"Yeah, but it's not as fun that way. This way you really get to feel like the hunter."

Hana smirks. "Wow. I'm so excited I'm shaking."

Seeing that she's only kidding, Sokka smiles back. So far Hana's a much better student than Katara ever was. This is mainly because she's forced to use tools. She can't just drop them and use her waterbending like his sister can. At least with Hana he knows that he'll come out of this situation not being drenched in ocean water. Right then is when Sokka notices that the angle of her arm is slightly off.

"No, no, no." Sokka rushes over to her other side to correct her. Taking her by the wrist he says, "You have to raise your arm more. Otherwise you might not get enough force behind it when you go in for the kill."

A second later he releases her. "Okay. I think I'm getting it," says Hana. "Like this, right?"

Sokka observes her keenly. To be honest she's holding the spear perfect now, like a true fisherman.

_'__Or fisher-woman,"_ Sokka corrects himself. _'__Meh, whatever.'_

"Yes, that's perfect!" he tells her. "But don't strike yet. It's still getting in position."

"Alright," she agrees easily. "Tell me when."

Together, the two teenagers keep their eyes pointed toward the hole. The fish is coming very slowly, but it's still coming nonetheless. Sokka pays close attention as its silvery-gray scales shine in the sunlit water. Whether he thinks so or not, Hana also watches zealously.

"Okay, get ready." There is a slight hesitation before he starts counting. "One…two…three…Now!"

She shoves the spear into the water on command. For a long moment Sokka is ninety-seven percent sure that she missed it. Nobody, not even he, was able to spear a fish on his first try. When Hana raises it up out of the water, however, the scaled creature hangs limply from the spear's tip speckled with blood.

"Wow, I don't believe it!" Sokka exclaims in disbelief. "You actually got it!"

Pulling off the fish, Hana tosses it into the snow between them. Chuckling, she says, "Gee, thanks. I'm happy to know that you have so much faith in me."

"Hey, don't be that way. It's just, not too many people can spear a fish on their first try."

Hana smiles. "I guess I'm just special."

"Either that, or you had some excellent coaching," he says arrogantly.

The girl shrugs. "Okay, maybe it was both. Don't tell your sister I said this, but she underestimates you. You've got talent."

His eyes widen in pleased shock. Besides his father and grandmother, nobody really tells him that. "Thanks, Hana. You do too. Or at least you're better at this than Katara."

"Oh, come on. Be good, and don't insult your sister."

"But it's true! Every time she says she wants to learn how to do something like this she starts whining and getting aggravated." Once that gets said Sokka changes the subject entirely. "You know, next time Katara's off doing something with Aang, we should really do this again."

Hana beams him agreement. "Yeah, we should. This was fun! I never thought I'd say this, but fishing really _is_ fun."

"Yeah? Next time I should bring an extra spear and we can have a little competition."

Hana opens her mouth to say something else. What, Sokka doesn't know. One thing he does know, though, is that there might not be a next time. Right then, sitting side-by-side next to the tiger seals' air hole, a loud squealing is heard from the sky. Frightened, the two blue-eyed spear-fishers look up in alarm. Lighting up the sky this time is not a giant light beam, but a bright and booming flare signaling the Fire Navy. Knowing that their little fishing game is over, Hana and Sokka jump to their feet.

"That does not look good," Hana says bluntly alarmed.

"No. It doesn't." Sokka grabs her by the arm. "Let's go. We have to get back to the village."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, we are now on the episode "The Avatar Returns". I'm doing my best to write these chapters without arching the episodes, but I might have to time and time again. For now, however, this chapter is done and things are finally starting to shake up a bit. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

* * *

Chapter Three

The moment Larissa and Sokka returned to the Water Tribe village, things went exactly as they had in the series. Katara and Aang returned in shame. Although Aang truly isn't a threat, he admitted to going onto the ship and setting off the flare on accident. Once that had happened, it wasn't long before a very livid and protective Sokka banished Aang from the village. Seeing how sad the airbender's expulsion made Katara, Larissa did her best to comfort her. However, it did not go well. Not in the least.

All Katara said to her was, "You know that Aang isn't a threat! Why didn't you help me defend him? You could've changed Sokka's mind."

Larissa didn't know what else to say, so she simply told her the truth. "What? No I couldn't! Katara, I'm a foreigner here myself. Did you want me to risk the trust of the villagers and of your brother for the slim chance that they might have let Aang stay?"

Shaking her head at the girl, Katara stormed away bitterly. "Of course. I should've known that you wouldn't understand."

Where Katara is at now, Larissa isn't entirely sure. Knowing very well that the Fire Nation could be coming, perhaps she preparing the same way Sokka is. At that thought, Larissa glances over at the boy.

"Warriors, ready our defenses! The Fire Nation could be on our shores at any moment!"

One of Sokka's "soldiers" holds himself while dancing around. "But I gotta—"

Grimacing in aggravation, he commands, "And _no_ potty breaks!"

* * *

Larissa stands with the crowd of villagers, looking on in disbelief as Zuko's ship makes its way through the ice with a thundering _crack_. The majority of the children are hidden safely inside one of the tents, leaving the adults to gawk in fear. Despite the fact that she's about to see the sexy Fire Nation prince in all his glory, Larissa can't help but be afraid. Of course, this is mostly for a Sokka adorned by war paint, who stands on the wall of ice with the bow of Zuko's warship going straight for him. Without even realizing it, Larissa shouts to him.

"Sokka! Move you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Still he doesn't move. Rather, he ignores her while raising his club into a defensive position. When a large chunk of the wall falls away, causing Sokka to slide several feet downward and avoid being crushed, she sighs with relief. Now all of her focus shifts to the gargantuan vessel. Forcing its way through the wall completely, it comes to a halt. Steam pouring out from the large metal ship, the bow screeches downward to form a walkway. The mist is thick around the bow, giving the scene a very threatening feel. Emerging from it is Prince Zuko himself, followed by two Fire Nation Soldiers.

Upon seeing him, Larissa's first thought is very different from the villagers. _'Wow. He looks so threatening. Yet… he looks so hot in the armor… Too bad Macy can't be here to see this!'_

Breaking the pale-faced girl's secret thoughts is a war-crying Sokka. Charging up the ramp with his machete angled threateningly, he looks ready to thwack the scarred prince in the head. However, he doesn't even come close. A single kick from Zuko is all it takes to send the Water Tribe warrior over the ramp's edge and head first into the snow. Ascending the walkway with six more soldiers flanking him, he stops in front of Katara and her grandmother.

"Where are you hiding him?"

The Water Tribe citizens go silent at his question. Looking over the crowd, he spots Kana and grabs her forcefully by the hood of her parka.

"He'd be about this age, master of all elements?"

Larissa gasps along with the rest of the villagers. Despite the fact that Zuko has always been her favorite character, she's always found that specific action to be very unnecessary. Forcing Kana back into the crowd, she grabs onto Katara shuddering in fear. Larissa can't help but shoot him a glare which he doesn't spot. Already understanding what he's going to do next, Larissa ducks and covers her head. About four seconds later the teenager releases a flaming arc of heat over their heads, causing screams of fear.

"I_ know _you're hiding him."

Larissa is so busy looking into Zuko's livid golden gaze that she doesn't notice as Sokka charges up behind him with a loud battle cry with a machete in hand. Of course, this doesn't help anything. Zuko turns around, avoids his blow, and tosses him forward into the snow. Somehow, seeing as he tosses his boomerang in the prince's direction, this doesn't stop Sokka either. Unfortunately for the young warrior, Zuko dodges that as well. He gives Sokka a stiff glare as a little Water Tribe boy tosses his companion a spear.

"Show no fear!"

The events following this are almost painful to watch. If Larissa were in Macy's living room right now, she'd be cracking up in laughter at the sight of Sokka's manly spear being ripped from his grip, snapped in two, getting poked in the head three times, and being tossed into the snow. Yet again, it's not as funny as Sokka's boomerang returning and hitting the firebender squarely in the back of the head. Although, the situation is no longer humorous once that happens. Hovering over Sokka, Zuko glares down at him with fire daggers formed in his hands. Larissa's heart almost stops. Zuko literally looks like he's going to _kill_ him.

It is at this very moment that Larissa forgets what's supposed to happen next. Fearing for Sokka's life, Larissa speaks out.

"Leave Sokka alone and tell us what you want! There's no need to waste this senseless violence on him!"

Immediately realizing what she's done, Larissa slaps a hand over her mouth. Shock painting over every feature of Zuko's face, he gazes over and spots her. Slowly but surely, he strides over to the fifteen-year-old.

"Hana," Katara whispers in fear. "What are you doing?!"

Speechless all of the sudden, Larissa doesn't answer. The closer Zuko comes the more the crowd draws back. By the time he reaches his destination, Larissa is the only one left standing there. Much too frightened to move, she stands there dormant as Zuko circles her with slow, calculated paces.

"_I _am looking for the Avatar," Zuko whispers menacingly. "You wouldn't happen to know where they're hiding him?"

Miraculously regaining her voice, Larissa replies on instinct. "What? No! I have no _idea _where the Avatar is!"

Surprisingly, Zuko reaches out and grabs her by the wrist. Drawing the blonde girl closer, he breathes down her neck as he speaks. Meanwhile, Larissa shivers.

"Hm. That's interesting." At that point he pushes her back slightly in order to better observe her. "What's also interesting is the color of your hair, not to mention your _pale_ skin. Your appearance is very different for someone who belongs to the Water Tribe. It's almost like you don't belong here at all."

Releasing her, he pushes the girl back toward the crowd.

"Do you have a name, _pale-faced_ peasant?"

At last the moment that they've all been waiting for approaches; or, at least the moment that Larissa's been waiting for. Aang, on the back of a penguin, comes riding in. Going under Zuko's legs, the prince does a complete flip and falls on his chest. Seconds later his helmet falls from the sky and lands on his rear-end. As this happens, the children begin to cheer loudly. As fast as he can, Zuko gets to his feet.

"Looking for me?" asks Aang.

Zuko's eyes widen at the sight of him. "You?_You're_ the Avatar?"

Surprised gasps and murmurs come from the crowd at Zuko's proclamation. Larissa doesn't hear them, though. She's much too busy feeling relieved at Aang's phenomenal entrance. What Zuko was going to do to her, she can only guess. That is definitely not something Larissa can figure out from the TV series.

"I've spent years waiting for this moment; training; meditating. You're just a child!"

Aang looks at Zuko oddly. "Well you're just a teenager."

At this point Larissa is expecting the fight to break out and for Aang to give himself up as an offering. However, it doesn't work out this way. Not in the least. Rather than fighting Aang, Zuko grimaces at his words. After that, he speaks.

"Listen, Avatar, let me make you a deal. I want you and that pale-faced girl over there to come with me. If you do, then I will leave this village in peace." He pauses before adding, "Do we have a deal?"

Confused, the airbender scratches his head. "I understand why you want me, but what do you want Hana for?"

"I have personal reasons as to why I require the capture of your friend," Zuko states simply. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"I don't know…" Aang says, obviously leery.

Larissa bites down on her lip, aggravated with herself. Why did she have to go and defend Sokka? It all would've worked out either way! Now feeling like she has a responsibility, the girl nervously steps out.

"If you keep your promise to leave the village alone, I will go with you," Larissa says trying to keep the quiver from her voice. It's obvious to everyone that's she's failed in this endeavor.

The prince gives a single nod. "The peasant has agreed to the terms of my deal. What about you, Avatar?"

Aang purses his lips in nervous consideration. "If Hana says she'll go, then I'll go too. As long as you promise that no harm will come to her."

He gives another stiff nod. "I promise that no harm will come to the village or to your friend."

That being said, Fire Nation soldiers surround the two as they ascend the ramp. The entire time the Water Tribe civilians look on in shock. However, none are as shocked as Katara and Sokka.

"Set in course for the Fire Nation," Zuko commands. "I'm going home."

* * *

Sokka is quiet as he stows his supplies inside their little canoe. Somehow he feels guilty over both Aang and Hana. At any other time he would say that Hana got herself into this mess by attracting the scarred firebender's attention, but she attracted his attention by defending _him_. Talking back to an armor-clad firebender so that no harm would come to him? That took some real courage. Then, even though he banished Aang and declared him the enemy, Aang still came back to defend. He didn't have to. In fact, he should have been _afraid _to. Yet, the little airbender returned anyway. That's when Sokka reminds himself of the shocking truth.

_'__No,'_ he says mentally. _'He's not just an airbender. He's the Avatar.'_

It's obvious to him now that they can both be trusted beyond the shadow of a doubt. They went with the moody Fire Nation prince as prisoners so that the rest of the village wouldn't be harmed. If that's not faithfulness, then Sokka doesn't know what is. Coming out of his thoughts, he listens as his baby sister continues rambling on.

"I know that you don't like Aang, but we owe him! We owe Hana, too! She laid her own personal safety on the line for you and—"

Done packing, he clears his throat. "Katara, are you gonna talk all day, or are you coming with me?"

Pausing, Katara turns around to see her brother standing on the edge of the ice next to a fully-packed canoe. Beaming, she sprints over to him and engulfs him in a hug.

"Oh, Sokka!"

He pats her on the back. "Come on. We're going to save Hana and your _boyfriend_."

She pulls away, giving him a mischievous look. "You know, Sokka, you're one to talk. Weren't you fishing with Hana earlier and out hunting with her yesterday?"

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, the lanky teenager defends himself. "Look, it doesn't matter now. The point is they're in trouble and we have to save them."

Katara smirks teasingly. "Whatever you say, Sokka."

It is at that moment the siblings' grandmother approaches.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Sokka and Katara stare for a minute looking alarmed. Then Kana hands them four sleeping bags. "You'll need these. Be sure to give one to Hana and one to Aang once their rescued."

Katara hugs Kana warmly. "Thank you, grandmother."

Gran gran embraces her in return. "It's been so long since I've had hope. And it was you that brought it back to life, my little waterbender." The embrace ends and she continues. "Aang is the Avatar and the world's last hope for peace. Your destinies are intertwined with his, and I have a feeling that Hana's may be also. I feel in my heart that there is something very special about that young woman."

They stow the sleeping bags in the canoe and Kana approaches Sokka. "And you, my brave warrior, be nice to the two lovely ladies that will be traveling with you."

As he'd done with Katara, he pats his grandmother on the back. "Okay, Gran."

"Now go. You two have a long journey ahead of you."

Looking down at their tiny craft, it obvious that something has just occurred to the adolescent girl with the braid. "There's no way that we're going to catch a warship with a canoe."

As if waiting for his cue, Appa groans loudly.

* * *

Larissa watches as Zuko inspects Aang's staff like it's a piece of fine gold. Meanwhile, Uncle Iroh and several Fire Nation soldiers surround them. Somehow, nobody manages to notice how emotionless Aang's face is. The only one that sees this is Larissa. It's obvious that he's thinking deeply rather than feeling distressed. He doesn't even seem to struggle against his bindings. How, Larissa doesn't know. The rope binding her arms together chaffs her skin so badly that she struggles not to bend over backwards and gnaw at it.

Still inspecting the staff, Prince Zuko speaks. "This will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks." Handing the instrument to his Uncle, he orders, "Take the Avatar to the prison hold, and take this to my quarters."

Two of the eight soldiers lead Aang down a narrow corridor. Several feet behind the Fire Prince, Iroh is seen handing the staff to a different soldier before he himself leaves the main deck.

"What do you want us to do with the girl, sir?"

At the mention of herself, Larissa looks up. Peering into Zuko's eyes, she sees that they're calculating with twice as much curiosity.

"Don't worry about her. _Hana_ is coming with me for questioning," Zuko says simply.

The soldiers disperse at their bosses command, leaving Larissa completely alone with Prince Zuko. His eyes never leaving her for a moment, he motions toward one of the main deck's many doors.

"Come with me. There's a lot to discuss."

Not knowing what else to do, Larissa immediately follows. Under any other circumstances this would be a dream come true. Being on Zuko's ship as a prisoner and going off somewhere alone with him? It almost sounds like some perverted scenario Macy would come up with. Of course, Larissa knowing her own luck understands that this will most likely be some form of brutal interrogation.

"So," he says to her, "Hana's your name. Is that correct?"

She nods. "Yes, but I don't understand why you've brought me here. There's nothing special about me."

He slows his steps a bit so that they're walking side by side. "I don't think that's true," he says in a raspy whisper.

_'__The whisper that me and Macy have swooned over for years now… Wow. Who knew?'_

Larissa ignores that thought in order to properly respond. "I apologize for my directness, Prince Zuko, but you must be mistaken. I am a fifteen-year-old girl and a non-bender. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Really?" he says menacingly. "Then why are you so different from the other people I've seen? You carry yourself differently, you speak differently, and your attitude is different. Not to mention the color of your hair and your extremely pale skin."

Larissa gapes at him. When she speaks she sounds surprised rather than rude. "Is that it then? You brought me here because I have blonde hair, no tan, and I act a little different?"

"See. You're doing it right now. Anyone else would be quaking in fear at the sight of me. I know people who would jump overboard into the South Pole Seas before tagging along after me and engaging in a conversation as my prisoner."

She's taken aback for a moment, as if a gust of wind has just smacked her in the face. Flabbergasted, Larissa replies, "Maybe I don't see a reason to be afraid of you. Just because you're a firebender doesn't mean you're evil."

Zuko is silent for a long time. They walk the length of the hallway and turn several corners by the time he speaks again.

"Hana, where were you born?"

Deciding that her fake past is already set, she tells him the same thing that she told Katara and Sokka. "I don't know. My parents deserted me at an orphanage in the Earth Kingdom. That was my home for years before I ran away a few months ago."

"You grew up in the Earth Kingdom then?"

She gives another nod. "Yes."

"Then you've probably seen a lot of Fire Nation soldiers. If so, being an orphan raised around war, how do you seem so… confident?"

Larissa raises a brow. "Confident?"

In her lifetime Larissa has been called many things. Out of all the things she's been called, _confident_ is not one of them.

"Yes. You're looking me straight in the eye and keeping perfectly in step with me. Had you actually been raised the way you claim, you wouldn't be acting this way. All you'd be thinking about is how I could reach out and burn you with my firebending at any moment."

"Why would you be thinking about that? I know you won't."

Zuko grimaces in aggravation before forming a fiery dagger in each hand. "How would you know that?"

For a split second Larissa is honestly scared. Luckily, before anything can happen, Aang dashes around the corner, followed by a large gust of air.

"Hana!" he exclaims with a grin. Using his wind-powered running he grabs her by the arm. To Zuko he says, "Thanks for finding her!"

Before Zuko has any type of chance to react to the sight, Aang and Larissa are gone from view.

"Thanks, Aang," Larissa says. "I was wondering how long it would take you."

His wide grin hasn't vanished. "No problem. Now let's go!"

Dashing through corridors and gliding up flights of stairs, they look for a speedy exit. Larissa just hopes that Katara and Sokka get here soon so that they can fly out of here. The sooner they leave the sooner her hands can get untied. It takes several more corridors, but eventually they make it to the top of the ship's tower. Knowing that Larissa can't very well grab on, Aang grasps her by the waist before jumping out the window. A millisecond later, they're airborne.

"Don't worry, Hana!" Aang exclaims. "We're almost out of here!"

So anxious was she to get away from Zuko's ship that Larissa forgot what's supposed to happen next. Only when she hears an angry grunt followed by the feeling of them loosing height does she remember.

_'__Dang it, Zuko!'_ she grumbles internally.

Another thing that she doesn't expect, something that she never would've expected in a million years, is for Aang to lose his grip on her.

"Hana!" Aang shouts fearfully.

Aang tries to loosen Zuko's hold so that he can go rescue his friend, but he is unable to. Thus, this leaves her falling to her doom. Any second now Hana is expecting to suffer the painful feeling of metal impacting her body. Instead, however, she feels the freezing, salty dampness of the South Pole Seas. All it takes is a second for her to realize that this is much worse than crashing onto the main deck. In sheer horror, she attempts to paddle around uselessly with her legs as she cries out for help. Regrettably, it doesn't work. Moments later, the liquid can be felt engulfing her body. As she goes under, she can almost swear she hears someone calling her name; somebody entirely different from the monk.

* * *

Flying high on Appa's back, Sokka and Katara reach Zuko's warship just in time to catch the frightening sight. Out of the tower window jumps the orange-clothed Avatar, holding the pale-faced girl dressed in Water Tribe blue. With both prisoners soaring free on Aang's little glider, Sokka and Katara couldn't have been more relieved.

"Here they come!" Katara had said. "Now we can meet up with them!"

Sokka, on the other hand, wasn't so cheerful. Motioning back to his sister, he exclaimed, "I don't think so, Katara. Look!"

Flinging himself out of the window behind the duo was Zuko, who managed to catch Aang's ankle by no more than mere centimeters. Between Zuko's armor and superior body mass, the impact was just enough for Aang to lose his grip on Hana. As Aang and Zuko hit the ship's deck with a loud thud, Hana did not. Instead, be it by chance or the gust of the wind, she misses the deck and heads straight for the water with a booming _splash_. Now, all Katara and Sokka are able to do is stare.

Hand covering her mouth, Katara looks on frightfully.

Meanwhile, Sokka goes into panic mode. "Hana!" he shouts. "Hana, can you hear me?! Hana! HANA!"

On instinct Katara flies Appa down near the water as Sokka continues watching the water. Two more seconds pass with an excruciating slowness to the point where Sokka is about to dive in after her. From the ship's lethal deck, however, Aang beats him to it.

"Katara, Sokka, fly Appa higher!" he shouts. "I'm going in to rescue Hana!"

Glider again in his grasp, Aang jumps into the water, narrowly missing Zuko's pursuing men. Katara obeys and takes Appa up to his previous height. Looking down at the salt water, the siblings count down the seconds. On the deck of Zuko's warship, they seem to be doing the same thing. Four seconds later, the tattooed boy disappears beneath the waves.

Holding his breath, Sokka counts the seconds. _'One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Six…'_

"Aang?" calls Katara. "Is Hana okay?!"

_'__Seven…Eight…Nine…Ten…Eleven…'_

After what feels like eternity, Aang flies up out of the water riding his glider. In one arm is a very limp, very damp, Hana. Katara flies lower upon seeing them, disregarding Aang's orders completely. Once they're aboard they take to the skies as fast as they can.

From the ship below they hear Zuko bellow out a command. "Shoot them down!"

A large fireball comes their way, causing the piloting Katara to experience slight terror. Lucky for them the Avatar quickly extinguishes it, burying Zuko's boat in a heaping pile of snow.

"Let's get out of here!" says Aang. "Hana's alive, but I think she's unconscious!"

* * *

A few hours later in a nearby forest Sokka cradles Hana's small body in his arms. The very first time he saw her she didn't look that small to him. Now, in the dark woods and in front of the camp fire, she seems much, much, smaller. One thing that surprises him about the whole ordeal is that her braids are still tied in the same knot in the back of her head perfectly in place. A person would think that nearly drowning would give you a bad hair day. The rest of her looks the way it did before too, snow-colored skin and all. Only it's got more of a pink cast to it now that she's been out of the water for a while.

"Sokka," says Aang, "you can put her in her sleeping bag and let her rest now. Katara says that Hana will be fine. All she's doing is sleeping."

"Yeah," Katara verifies. "By tomorrow morning she should be waking up with the rest of us as good as new."

In the darkness, Sokka blushes. "Right. Sorry."

Retrieving the sleeping bag from Katara's outstretched arm, he tucks Hana in and places her beside the fire.

"Wow, Sokka," says Aang. "I didn't think you'd be so protective of her."

"Hey, what'd you expect? A member of our group almost drowned!"Sokka exclaims. "If it were you or Katara do you think I'd react any differently?"

"No…" says Aang. "I guess not…"

Satisfied, he confirms, "Good. Because I wouldn't."

"Right…" The monk pauses for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, I have something to show you guys. Something weird."

Sokka arches a brow critically. "Weird? This isn't some kind of skin rash, is it?"

Aang shakes his head. "No. See, when I went in to save Hana, I saved something else too. I'm not sure what it is. While I was underwater it kind of came out of nowhere."

Aang pulls a medium-sized leather pouch with draw strings out from the folds of his cloak, putting it at the center for all to see. The first to pick it up is Sokka.

"There's some kind of book inside of it. Only it's not like ours. It opens differently. The weird part is, when I took them out of the water, not the pouch or the book was wet _at all_."

Curious, Sokka opens the pouch and dumps its contents into his hand. Unable to stop herself from looking, Katara shuffles beside him. The moment Sokka sees the object he learns that Aang is right. This book, or whatever it is, doesn't open from the top like theirs do nor is it in the form of a scroll. Instead, it opens from one of the sides. Opening it up and flipping through it he finds that, other than for perfectly spaced horizontal lines, the book is completely empty. Shrugging, he hands it over to Katara

"This doesn't look like any book I've ever seen," Sokka observes verbally.

Now in the hands of his sister, Katara flips through it herself. Only, she does so more carefully than Sokka. While performing this action, she finds something strange in one of the covers.

"Guys," she says. "I think I found something."

Aang and Sokka gather around her to see what it is she's talking about. Once they see it, they're completely baffled. Inside the cover, going from left to right, are strange methodical marks etched into the parchment with ink.

"What is it?" asks Aang, gazing over the odd symbols.

"I don't know," says Sokka, "but I don't think it's meaningless. Look. There's a pattern."

"Yeah," says Katara. "Look. That moon shaped one is seen in a lot of different places."

"Exactly," Sokka confirms. "So is that triangular one. There's some kind of vertical line that's also written down in several places."

"What is it then? Some kind of code or foreign writing?" asks Aang.

"I think so. What else could it be?" Sokka says, his eyes never leaving the markings.

Several more minutes pass and Katara yawns.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to follow Hana's example and get some sleep. Goodnight."

Katara drags herself into her sleeping bag and is soon sleeping soundly. Another hour passes and the embers of the fire start to burn low, forcing Sokka and Aang to follow suit. Crawling into his own sleeping bag, Sokka looks over at Hana. While he's relieved that she's okay, it's also disappointing to think that she didn't get to see the strange object that Aang found. But then he figures that it doesn't matter. Hana's alive, and safe, and dry. If anything, they can simply show it to her in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, the next chapter is here. They are officially out of the Southern Water Tribe, so let us all give a sad farewell to the glaciers. :,( Anyhow, they're on their way to the Southern Air Temple now. Here things are going to get more interesting than before! I hope... Please tell me what you think. Is the story going good? I appreciate your reviews! :)**

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

Chapter Four 

Larissa had a very strange dream that night. Not so much a dream, really, but a memory of those excruciating moments where she was under the water. Almost more frightened than she'd ever been before in her life, she remembers having kicked as hard as she can until the icy waves finally took over. Normally when a person starts to drown they close their eyes in order to prepare for the end, but not Larissa. Her eyes stayed open for as long as possible, enabling her to see the frightening sight that lied beneath the waves. About twenty feet below her was a misty type of sphere containing some type of fog. Thinking it was a whirlpool or something at first, this caused Larissa to kick even harder. That is when she heard it.

Budding out from the purple-rimmed, misty, object was a voice. Even with the possibility of death on her mind, the submerged girl was able to recognize it in seconds.

"Larissa, don't be afraid. It's me. I need to reopen the cross-portal so that I can send something through."

Pure shock coursing through her veins, Larissa had tried to shout out in surprise. "Macy?!" Instead all she got was a mouth full of water.

"Larissa, don't do that! You have to be careful!"

Starting to feel dizzy, she simply gave a nod.

"Okay, I'm sending it through now. It should make it there fine, but I'm not sure if you'll get to it in time. If not you, then Aang will find it when he dives in to rescue you. Goodbye, Larissa, and good luck."

Several seconds after Macy's last words a small black object emerged from what Macy had referred to as "the cross-portal" before shrinking to disappearance. She'd wanted to observe the object more closely, but found herself unable to. The lack of oxygen taking over, Larissa blacked out right there underneath the waves.

* * *

The Next Morning

The lovely sound of chirping birds fills Larissa's ears, making for a pleasant way to arouse. Cuddled into her sleeping bag, she can smell the dirt and grass spread out beneath the little campsite. At this point it's obvious that they've finally left the South Pole. Opening her eyes, she gazes around the remains of the campfire to see Katara across from her. Ninety degrees to her right is Sokka, snoring as loudly as ever. Sitting up in order to get a better view of the surrounding area she notices Appa a little further off. Stretching, the early riser crawls out from her sleeping bag. Feeling a sudden chill, Larissa reaches over for her Parka. This may not be the South Pole, but it's certainly still in the winter months.

"Good morning, Hana!" says a cheerful voice.

Turning, she sees Aang coming out of the woods, his staff in one hand and berries in the other.

"Good morning, Aang," she greets with a smile.

"I'm glad you're okay after what happened yesterday. How do you feel?"

That's when the thought occurs to her. Despite her near-death by drowning, the girl feels completely fine. Not just fine, but great in fact.

"I'm actually feeling really good," she says in response to Aang's question.

"That's fantastic! I'm really glad you're feeling better." The airbender comes closer to the girl as he continues speaking. "Oh, and Sokka, Katara, and I talked it over last night while you were asleep. We're going to see my home at the Southern Air Temple!"

Larissa raises a brow for a moment. She'd almost forgotten. Living in this dimension and traveling with the Avatar they'll have to get through _that_ episode. For now, however, she manages to respond casually and fake a smile.

"Wow. That's great, Aang! You must be really excited."

Aang's trademark grin never leaves his face. "I am. I can't wait to see it!"

Snuggled up into her cuddly warm parka, Larissa stoops over to roll up her sleeping bag. Meanwhile Aang looks down at her, a very important thought occurring to him. The medium-sized leather pouch still in the folds of his cloak, he pulls it out to show his new friend. Maybe she can give some insight as to what the strange book might be.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I found something in the water yesterday when I was saving you."

Standing back up, Larissa takes the object from the Avatar's outstretched hand, teeming with interest. Opening the pouch by the drawstrings, she reaches in and removes a small book the shade of light blue. Flipping through the pages, Aang's story suddenly seems off to her.

"Aang, what do you mean you found this in the water? There's no damage to it."

"I know. That's what I told Sokka and Katara last night when I showed it to them. It wasn't even _wet_ when I pulled it out of the water."

Gazing at the book, Larissa knows that this must be what Macy wanted to send through the cross-portal. Back in Chicago, although she'd never told anyone besides Macy, Larissa had always kept a daily journal. Having a thick cover, creamy white pages, and a large abundance of paper, this is actually the most beautiful journal she's ever owned. Flipping to the inside cover, she sees a note written in her best friend's delicate printing. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she can sense Aang watching her. Nervous all of the sudden, the girl slaps the book closed.

"Do you know what it is?" asks the monk hopefully.

Slowly, Larissa confesses. "Yes…I do. I've seen books like this before."

"Really?Where?"

The blonde girl chomps down on her lower lip. "In the… Earth Kingdom," she says at last. "I've seen… traveling merchants…who sell them."

He scratches his head. "Oh. They must be kind of rare, then. I don't think I've ever seen a merchant who sells books like that; especially not with that strange writing inside of it."

Larissa's pulse picks up slightly. "Strange writing?"

"Yeah, in the front. Katara and Sokka think that it could be some kind of code."

Nervousness turning to wild anticipation, Larissa decides to take a shot in the air and try her luck. "Hey, Aang, since I'm familiar with these kinds of books is it okay if I hold onto it?"

Aang gives an optimistic nod. "Sure! It makes sense, considering that you're the only one who's seen something like that before."

It's as if her entire body sighs with relief. "Okay. Thanks." Getting a sudden urge to be alone, Larissa backs up in the direction of the woods. "Those berries you're eating really look good. I'm going to go find some of my own."

The air nomad waves to her. "Okay. See you later, Hana!"

Struggling not to look anxious, Larissa wonders off. Only when it's certain that Aang is out of sight does she pounce into a sprint. Moving as fast as her legs can go, the blue-clad girl searches for a secluded place to sit down. After a few moments of seeking she discovers a tiny opening in between a grove of trees. Squeezing in between several trunks, Larissa gets comfortable and reopens the journal. Taking up the whole front cover in what Aang called the "strange writing" is a message from Macy.

_Dear Larissa,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't get this to you sooner. The plan was to get this journal to you days ago. Unfortunately, transporting solid objects through the cross-portal takes up a lot more energy than transporting people. It took me seventy-two straight hours to even come close to getting the formula right! I guess it doesn't matter though. At least it's there now. In a day or two I'll try to get enough ingredients to send you a package of ink__pens and some pictures of your family, too. I tried sending them last time, but the portal spit them back out at me. Also, I hope that you're not upset with me for sending you there. You just seemed so miserable here in Chicago that I couldn't take it anymore! Whenever we spoke it seemed like both your mind and your heart was in Avatar the Last Airbender, so that's where I decided to send you. I pray that you're happy there. I wish I could talk to you directly. I'm working on getting together the ingredients for a converse-bowl, but that could take __a lot__of time; probably twice as much time as it took me to send the journal! But never fear. I __WILL__figure out how to do it! For now, I bid you farewell. _

_Your dear friend,_

_Macy_

_P.S. I AM working on getting the pictures and the pens to you. Within the week they should be there. Also, you're family is doing pretty well. Sarah had to go out and get a job, but they're making ends meet. Please don't worry about them. They're going to do fine. _

Larissa reads Macy's letter again three times and eventually the questions start to come. What the heck is a converse-bowl?! Closing the journal up, she simply stares at it. Sarah got a job at twelve years old? How is could she possibly handle that? Then there's the thing Macy wrote about the pens and the pictures. How her dark-haired friend is keeping tabs on her family and is getting stuff through to the Avatar world, she has no idea. Then again, Macy always has been one to do the impossible. That's just what the wealthy sixteen-year-old does and nothing will ever change that. Again, Larissa's mind jumps back to the whole thing with the converse-bowl. What in the name of heaven could that possibly be?

_'__Meh,'_ Larissa says to herself. _'Knowing Macy and the crazy stuff she messes with, I'll find out soon enough.'_

Moments later Larissa hears footsteps, followed by a voice. To be specific, it would be Katara's voice.

"Hana!" calls the Water Tribe girl. "We're eating breakfast and then we're leaving! You'd better come back to camp!"

On impulse, the blonde-headed one shouts back in response. "I'm coming, Katara! I'll be there in a moment!"

Glancing at the book one more time, Larissa shoves it in the front of her parka before getting to her feet. Looking up at the sky, the sun is much higher than it was earlier. Realizing how late it truly is she dashes through the woods and back to camp.

* * *

Two Days Later

The first person to wake up that morning, unsurprisingly, is Aang. The next two to wake up are Katara and Larissa. Sokka, however, remains curled up in his sleeping bag on the ground. Based on that fact alone Larissa is already able to guess what episode this is. Gathering the rest of her things, Larissa turns to Katara.

"Well, Katara," she says, "today is the day."

Katara nods "I know. It's great to see Aang so happy." The waterbender pauses before adding, "I just hope that he's not too disappointed once we get there."

Pacing in the direction of the flying bison, Larissa formulates a response. "I know. I was thinking the same thing..."

As they draw closer to Aang they catch sight of him sitting on top of Appa. Adjusting the bison's reigns, he addresses the two females.

"I can't wait until we get to the Air Temple. You have to see it. The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!"

Silently the two girls climb atop furry beast. It takes a second, but Katara manages to invent a rejoinder. Larissa can hear the concern teeming within the Water Tribe girl.

"Aang, I know you're excited, but it's been hundred years since you've been home."

The airbender doesn't seem to notice the caution behind her words.

"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang exclaims.

"It's just that a lot can change in all that time."

"I'm sure some things will be the same," Larissa supports, "but a lot of it might not be the way you remember."

"I know, but I need to see it for myself."

Noticing that one of their companions is missing, Aang floats off of Appa's back and goes over to Sokka. Knowing that this could take a while, Larissa and Katara get into, as Sokka would call it, a "girly" conversation.

"You know, I'm really glad that you're wearing Water Tribe clothes. Blue is a good color on you, Hana," says Katara.

"Thank you! Of course, I think it looks better since you came up with an idea for my hair."

"Don't give me all the credit. A lot of it was your idea," says Katara. Then she adds, "I've never told you this before, but I love your hair. It may be different, but it looks lovely."

She chuckles. "Thanks. So is yours. I've always loved dark hair."

Katara is about to say something else when Sokka unleashes fits of screams and starts hopping around like a maniac.

"Aaahhh! Get it off! Get it off! Aaahhh!"

Unable to contain themselves, the two girls burst out into laughter.

"It's still on you, Sokka!" shouts Larissa. "Give me a stick and have me take a whack at it!"

This causes them both to laugh harder.

"Tee hee. That's very funny," the Water Tribe boy shoots back grouchily.

Standing behind him, Aang pokes the fellow male in the back of the head with a stick. "Great! You're awake. Let's go."

* * *

Seeing the Air Temple on Macy's giant television screen in her massive living room is one thing, but actually being there and seeing it for herself is quite another. Even if Aang is upset at the amount of dust and weeds living in his home it still is beautiful. The hallways, the paintings on the floors and walls, the fountains and statues, the airball field, it is absolutely magnificent! For about twenty minutes now Larissa has been wondering through the statue room. Where Sokka and Aang are at the blonde-headed girl isn't sure. Most likely they're off chasing the lemur that will soon become Momo. To be honest, knowing this makes her frown slightly. This means that soon Aang is going to stumble across the Fire Nation's wreckage.

Larissa releases an unconscious shudder at the thought. How she hates it when the little airbender is in distress.

"Hana, are you okay?"

Startled, she looks over at Katara who stands in front of a statue of and airbender Avatar.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little cold in here"

Chuckling, Katara closes the space between them. "It's not as cold here as it is in the South Pole."

The older girl agrees instantly. "Oh, yeah! Definitely!"

The two girls shift their gazes to the statue that towers over them. Larissa knows that she's been standing in front of this one forever now, but she can't help it. Eyeballing her in an odd manner, Katara seems to have noticed too.

"Is it just me, or have you been staring at this statue for the past ten minutes?"

Larissa shrugs. "No, it isn't just you. This statue is of my favorite Avatar: Avatar Kyoshi. I've heard a lot of stories about her."

"Really? What did she do?" asks Katara.

"A lot. She defeated Chin the Conqueror. She's the founder of Kyoshi Island and of the Kyoshi warriors. She was incredible!" Larissa pauses before saying. "Of course, she's not the only Avatar that I find incredible. I'm also trying to find the statue of Avatar Wan."

Confusion masks the waterbender's face. "Who?"

"Avatar Wan," Larissa explains. "He was the first Avatar; the one that started it all. He lived around ten-thousand years ago."

"Wow." Katara says in awe. "Well do you know where it is?"

Larissa scratches her neck awkwardly. She never did watch _The Legend of Korra_ as intensely as _Avatar the Last Airbender_.

"Not exactly, but I know that it's different from the others. At least that's what I've heard anyway."

"Oh. Well, good luck!" Katara says with a smile. "I'm going to check out the waterbender Avatars. Maybe I'll be able to recognize one from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Okay. Good luck to you too then. Hopefully your search will be easier than mine."

The two girls laugh before splitting up, Larissa going upstairs in order to view the statues in the balcony and Katara staying on the main level. Step-by-step and level-by-level Larissa slowly makes her way to the top. Occasionally an interesting-looking Avatar comes into view and she can't refrain herself from taking a peek. There are so many that it's unbelievable!

One that caught her eye and made her stop for at least seven minutes was one of a Fire Nation Avatar. With a long cascade of hair coupled by high cheekbones and flowing robes, this woman looked far too delicate to be an Avatar. Until you looked into the statue's eyes and saw determination there. It's hard to imagine a beautiful woman being such a butt-kicking, all-powerful, being. But then there's Avatar Kyoshi, Avatar Korra, and this Fire Nation Avatar, proving that some women are truly magnificent and ready to change the world for the better. Larissa looks at the writing on the statue, ready to find out the Avatar's name; then she remembers.

"Dang it!" she whispers in irritation. "I can't read Chinese!"

For over a week now she's been in the Avatar world. How could Larissa possibly forget that she can't read their writing?! That'll be something to explain when the time comes… Moving forward, Larissa continues on to the top. Only a couple levels away. Feeling a new sense of determination the young girl climbs on. Returning to her previous thoughts, she wonders something.

_'__At least back in Chicago I was making a difference for my family for a while. What is my reason for being here? I can't even read!'_

At last, the final level comes into view. Forgetting the depressing thoughts the little woman forces her way into a jog. Right there, at the very end, she sees it: The glorious image of Avatar Wan. Remembering that Katara is still in the room, Larissa shouts to the top of her lungs.

"I found it! It took about ninety-billion stairs, but I found it! Whoo!"

Katara's laughs echo all the way to the top. "That's great, Hana! I found a few Avatar's from the Southern Tribe too! There are actually a lot of them!"

"Cool!" she shouts in response. "I'm coming to see them, too! Just wait for me to get down there!"

"I will," calls the waterbender.

Before starting her descent, Larissa gets closer. It looks just the way it did on _The Legend of Korra_, Rava and all. Unable to believe that it's actually sitting right in front of her she reaches out to touch it. When she does, however, she pulls her hand back. Because right there, in the cold metal of Wan's chest, words start to mystically appear out of nowhere. These aren't just words, either. They're words written in English writing. All that appears is a single sentence, which Larissa reads aloud.

_"__Your destiny has been written."_

The moment after speaking, the words disappear as if they were never there. Severely freaked out, the blonde girl dashes down the stairs in an incredibly fast sprint. It seems as though she's started moving just in time too, because as she does each and every one of the statue's eyes start to glow.

"Hana, we need to go find Aang! I think something's happened!"

* * *

Larissa has never gotten to see Aang in the Avatar state before. One thing that she can now honestly give proof to is that the Avatar state is without a doubt the single most horrifying thing she's ever seen. Clutching onto the rock in front of her, she grabs on as though her life depends on it; it probably does. Directly in front of her is Sokka, also hanging on for dear life.

"Whatever my sister's about to do, I hope it works!" Sokka cries. "Otherwise Aang is going to blow us all right off the cliff-side!"

The two watch as Katara approaches the young airbender in his condition of turmoil. The entire time his airbending grows stronger. Afraid of being blown away, Larissa finds herself moving closer to Sokka.

As calmly as she can, the waterbender shouts to him. "Aang, I know you're upset," she says, "and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom. Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Hana, Sokka, and I. _We're_ your family."

Slowly Aang begins to descend, and the trio rushes over to him.

Laying a hand on the little monk's shoulder, Sokka comforts him. "The three of us won't let anything happen to you. Promise."

Squeezing in between the two siblings, Hana manages a hug around the shoulder. "You're safe with us, Aang. We're not going anywhere."

* * *

Later That Night

Sokka stares into the fire as the embers die down. Aang is sleeping. Katara is sleeping. Hana is not. Instead the girl with the pale head of hair stairs down into the palms of her hands, appearing to be stooped very deeply in thought. For some reason his own mind keeps going back to the Air Temple. Once Katara had calmed Aang down and gotten him out of the Avatar state, Hana had said something that struck a chord within his spirit.

_"__You're safe with us, Aang. We're not going anywhere." _

While that's true for himself and his sister, he wonders why that would be true for Hana. She's barely known them for a week. To be honest, he half expected her to wonder off somewhere and catch a ride on the first Earth Kingdom ship she saw. The girl has always struck him as the nomadic type that doesn't keep herself connected to anyone.

Really, when he woke up the morning after she almost drowned and continued traveling with them, he was flabbergasted beyond belief. When he saw her on Appa's back again this morning, on her way to the Temple with the rest of them, he was equally stunned. And now she's claimed that she won't be leaving at all. Not that he wants her to leave. Personally, he likes Hana. She's an interesting companion and adds variety to the group. It's just that being an orphan who acts as though she's traveled everywhere, he thought that she'd stay for a day or two and scamper off. Apparently that isn't the case.

"Is there a reason why you keep staring at me?"

Sokka jumps at the sound of her voice. At first he's scared that she's angry. When he sees the teasing nature in her gaze, relief pours over him.

"Sorry, Hana. I didn't even notice that I _was _staring."

She chuckles. "It's okay. I'm not offended or anything. Is there something you wanted?"

Sokka opens his mouth ready to say no; then he takes it back.

"Actually… yeah."

"Okay," she says. "Shoot."

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, he says, "I just wanted to tell you that… it was really sweet…what you told Aang."

Originally Hana was looking around him rather than at him. That's when she looks him in the eyes, changing everything.

"I meant what I said, you know. As long as you and your sister will have me, I don't want to go anywhere."

Sokka gives her the smallest of smiles. "I'm glad. You really add to the group. Aang likes you, Katara loves you in some _sisterly_ kind of way, and I…well…you're a good friend."

Her blue eyes widen, apparently pleasantly shocked by this confession. "Thank you," she says at last. "I guess this is why I want to stay. I fit so well here; better than I ever did where I used to live."

Seeing as she's so open right now, Sokka decides to push for more. "Is that why you left?"

"Yeah," she admits. "That's part of it. I just wasn't happy there."

"Does that mean you're happy with us?"

Larissa gives an honest smile. "Yes. It does. As long the rest of you are happy with me."

"Don't worry about that," says Sokka. "Katara is so attached to you that you couldn't leave even if you wanted to."

She gives a light chortle. "Good. Oh, and by the way, you're a good friend too." Hana pauses before adding, "And as long as you don't ever try to eat Momo again, I won't change my mind on that."

Suddenly, she yawns. Upon doing that, Sokka realizes that he's tired too.

"Goodnight, Sokka," says the girl.

"Goodnight, Hana," he replies. "See you in the morning."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay guys. I know this update is kind of late, but I've been busy beyond belief I've had so much to do over these past few days that it's not funny. I've actually been wanting to update since Friday. Nonetheless, this update is now here! We have made it all the way to Kyoshi Island! Also, I have been busy working on one of my own original stories. If you're interested in some of my original stories I'm ****_darkgoldenrose31_**** on ********. Feel free to check out my profile and some of my other stories! Well, enough advertising. Welcome to the fourth episode, The Warriors of Kyoshi! **

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. _

* * *

Chapter Five

Five Days Later

Larissa stares over the edge of Appa's saddle for something interesting to look at. Seeing as there's nothing but the open sea surrounding them, this endeavor is an automatic failure. Bored, she glances over at Katara who is acutely focused on mending Sokka's pants. To be bluntly honest, the fact that Sokka is sitting no more than two feet away from her without any pants disturbs her tremendously. Why oh why did he have to rip them? Curious as to what the Water Tribe boy is doing at the moment, she glances at him out of the corner of her eye. For the first time in days it seems like, he just so happens to be skimming over the map.

It takes a good long time, but Sokka verbalizes his thoughts to Aang. "You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

Larissa peers over at the airbender as he responds to his friend's question. "Weeelll, I know it's near water…"

"I guess we're getting close then."

Her legs asleep, Larissa pulls her knees up to her chest before looking over at Aang. The tattooed boy gives his lemur a command, making him fetch a pair of marbles from his cloak.

"Hey, Katara! Check out this airbending trick!"

Larissa smiles as she watches the airbender suspend the marbles between his hands using his bending.

Not bothering to look up from her work, Katara replies with, "That's great, Aang."

The boy is obviously hurt. "You didn't even look."

Putting her sewing aside for a moment, she gazes up. "That's great!"

"But I'm not doing it now."

Feeling bad, Larissa speaks up. "I saw it, Aang. It's a great trick!" she exclaims.

The airbender beams at her. "You really think so?"

"Of course!"

Waving his arm dismissively, Sokka counters her claim. "Meh, I've seen better. I have this awesome boomerang trick I came up with. Next time we land, Hana, you have to see it!"

Aang's eyes light up at Sokka's comment. "In that case, you can show her now, Sokka!"

Pulling on Appa's reigns, he steers the bison downward toward a crescent shaped island. Suddenly, it occurs to Larissa where they're landing. They're about ready to set foot on Kyoshi Island.

* * *

"Look! That's why we're here! The elephant koi. And I'm going to ride it. Katara, Hana, you've got to watch me!"

Aang strips down to his underwear before running out to the water and diving in. The three adolescents left on the beach simply stare at him as he swims out and dives under, Sokka giving the universal "he's crazy" signal. A moment or two later, the giant fish leaps out of the water with the twelve-year-old grasping its dorsal fin and waving toward the shore.

Katara and Larissa wave back excitedly, and then the pale-faced girl blanks out. The only thing she is capable of focusing on right now is the sheer fact that they're on Kyoshi Island. Today is the day that she gets to meet Suki! While her favorite male character has always been Zuko, Suki is her favorite female character. When she first watched the series as a child she'd always dreamed of getting to train with Suki all dressed up as a Kyoshi warrior. One year for Halloween she and Macy had actually gone as a duo of the fighters face paint and all. Of course, Larissa had never actually thought that she'd get to meet Suki and her fighting force. It's almost too good to be true!

Suddenly, a shout from Sokka brings her back to reality.

"There's something in the water!"

_'__Oh,'_ Larissa says to herself. _'It's time for a visit from our friendly neighborhood sea monster.'_

Hearing her brother's distress signal, Katara runs back from who-knows-where.

"What's wrong?" she asks

"Aang's in trouble," he replies. Then he shouts out to the airbender. "Aang!"

Katara, like Sokka, notices the ominous sight lurking in the water. Looking for the first time, Larissa sees it too. Suddenly, she starts to panic. This isn't just a sea monster; this is the unagi.

"Aang, get out of the water now!" she yells to the top of her lungs.

The braided girl, too, cries out. "Get out of there!"

Suddenly, the elephant koi he had been riding bucks him off so that he dives head first into the water. The whole time they never stop shouting.

"Come back here! AANG!"

At that point an enormous dorsal fin rises out of the water, the Avatar being nothing more than a tiny dot against it. Turning around, the boy spots it and lets out a shriek.

"Aaahhh!"

In a panic, Aang gets to the surface of the water. Using his airbending, he runs back to the shore as quickly as he can. Meanwhile, the unagi turns and pursues him causing Aang to move faster than before. Somehow, beyond all understanding, he makes it back to the beach. Yet, this victory doesn't come without Aang driving himself and Sokka into a tree. Feeling a mixture of relief and fear, Larissa and Katara run up to meet the pony-tailed teenager and the bald child.

"What was that thing?" asks Katara.

Tugging on his clothes, Aang replies, "I don't know."

"Well, let's not stick around and find out," Sokka replies while getting to his feet. "Time to hit the road."

Three seconds later, however, it is obvious to all of them that "hitting the road" will have to wait.

* * *

Blindfolded and helpless, Larissa struggles against the rope keeping her bound to a wooden pole. To her left she can feel the soft fur of Katara's parka and her hair-loopies being blown back into her face. On her right is the softness of another parka. This one, she can tell, is Sokka's. Sokka being at least four inches taller than her, her ear rubs up against his shoulder when he shifts just the right way.

From somewhere in front of them comes a male voice. The one Larissa is able to identify as Oyagi. "You four have some explaining to do."

Next a female voice sounds off, causing Larissa to have a fan attack. _This one is Suki's voice!_ "And if you don't answer all our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the unagi."

From her right comes Sokka's familiar tone, proving her guess to be correct. "Show yourselves cowards!"

Their blindfolds are removed at his words, allowing Larissa to see the scene before them. Directly in front of them, his gray beard and poofy pony-tail, is Oyagi. Next to the village leader are five Kyoshi warriors dressed in green. At the front of them stands Suki. Larissa can almost swear that her heart falters.

_'__Oh my gosh. Suki, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, is standing right in front of me! Not only am I getting to travel with Aang and his group, but I'm getting to meet Suki! Today is the most wonderful day of my entire existence!'_

Sokka again speaks out. She feels as he struggles against the ropes. "Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?"

Shaking her fist at the boy, Suki steps forward. "There were no men. _We_ ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Sokka, whom Larissa currently thinks of as the idiot boy, laughs in disbelief. "Wait a second, there's no way a bunch of girls took us down."

Angrily, Suki grabs the idiot boy by the collar and shakes him. "A bunch of girls, huh? The unagi's going to eat well tonight."

Unable to stop her excitement, Larissa speaks. "Sokka, you moron, don't you know who they are? They're not just _girls_. They're the Kyoshi Warriors!"

Judging by their faces, the green-clad girls as well as Oyagi appear to be shocked. Releasing her grip on the boy, Suki turns to her.

"Oh. So you've heard of us?" she asks cautiously.

"Have I heard of you? _Yes_ I've heard of you! You're a group of elite female warriors that reside here on Kyoshi Island! I've heard stories of your incredible talent and fighting ability! It's an honor to meet you!" Awkwardly Larissa adds, "Even though you kind of tied us up and want to kill us…"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Aang decides that it's his turn to say something. "Wait? These warriors and this island are named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"

Oyagi gives a sarcastic laugh. "Ha! How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."

Aang smiles up at him. "I know her because I'm the Avatar."

Suki shakes her fist at Aang in disbelief. "That's impossible! The last Avatar was an airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago."

"That's me!" Aang exclaims.

Unbelieving, Oyagi gives the Kyoshi Warriors a command. "Throw the impostors to the unagi!"

For the first time today, Katara speaks. "Aang…do some airbending…"

Whether he'd actually heard Katara or not Larissa isn't sure. To be honest, she'd never been sure of that. Either way, Aang breaks his bonds and shoots himself into the air. As he does Oyagi and the Kyoshi Warriors along with a small crowd that's gathered, gasps in amazement.

"It's true…" says Oyagi. "You _are_ the Avatar!"

Once that gets said, the other three step their way out from among the ropes. Off in the other direction somewhere Aang is showing his trick with the marbles to the crowd. Larissa, however, could care a less. Instead she runs up to Suki with a broad smile on her face. The entire time, Suki and the others stare at her in a flattered type of surprise.

"Is it true? Are you guys _really _the Kyoshi Warriors?"

Suki nods. "Yes, we are."

Trying hard not to come off as creepy or overeager, Larissa speaks again. "This is _awesome_. It is so great to get the chance to meet you!"

The shock of the moment finally subsiding, Suki and the warriors smile. "I had no idea that there were people out there that have heard about us. What's your name?"

"Hana," Larissa replies simply.

"Well, Hana, it's nice to meet you too. My name is Suki, and these are my warriors." The girl with the face-paint pauses for a second and glances back at the others. When she does they nod eagerly, as if giving permission. "I know this is kind of on the spot, but would you like to come see where we train?"

* * *

The Next Morning

Sokka is _not_ happy. Being beaten up by the moody Fire Nation prince back in the South Pole is one thing. Being ambushed and tied up is another. But being ambushed and tied up by a bunch of makeup wearing girls is very different from both of these. He is the son of Chief Hakodah and the best warrior in his village. He, unlike those frilly, painted, warriors, is a man. So angry and distressed is the Water Tribe boy that he couldn't even sleep last night… Okay, fine. With the feather-stuffed pillows and mattresses and the silky sheets sleeping wasn't _that_ difficult, but still. Sokka is absolutely furious. In a quiet stupor, Sokka leans up against the wall. A few feet away sitting at the long breakfast table Aang and his baby sister are chowing down.

"Sokka, what's your problem? Eat!"

Crossing his arms, he grumbles a response. "Not hungry."

Aang gapes at him in shock. "But you're _always_ hungry!"

"He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday," says Katara.

"They snuck up on me!"

"Right," Katara replies smugly. "And _then_ they kicked your butt."

"I don't understand why you're so upset, Sokka. Hana seems to like the Kyoshi Warriors," Aang points out.

"That's different," Sokka complains. "She was a fan of theirs long before she met them. Besides, Hana should like the Kyoshi Warriors. She's a _girl_ just like them!"

Shoving a pastry in his mouth, the Avatar asks, "So? What's wrong with being a girl?"

"Nothing. It's just that… they're not supposed to be warriors! Girls are better at cooking and sewing and guys are better at manly stuff like fighting and hunting. It's just the natural order of things."

Angrily, Katara glares up at him. "You know, you're lucky that Hana's not here right now. Otherwise she'd probably get Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors to kick your butt _again_."

"Hey, that is _not_ true! Hana is a friend, and she would never betray me by befriending those girly, fan-throwing—" Sokka cuts himself off as a question comes to mind. "Speaking of Hana, where is she anyway?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since last night," his younger sibling replies.

Aang reaches across the table for another bit of dessert before saying. "It's too bad. She's missing all the food! Maybe she's—"

Suddenly a noise is heard and someone enters, causing Aang to stop in the middle of his sentence. Looking up, they see that it just so happens to be the blonde-headed female herself that enters the room. To all of their surprises, especially Sokka's, Hana's wardrobe has vastly changed. Rather than being dressed in her normal Water Tribe robes, the young woman is adorned from head to toe in dark green. Everything from the padding, to the fans and the face paint is there. Another thing that's new is her broad, almost giddy, smile.

"Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors are awesome!" Hana exclaims. "I got to spend time with them all day yesterday and, after getting to know them, Suki gave me permission to train with them for few days until we leave. Isn't that great?!"

Sokka stares at her with mouth agape. Yet, Hana doesn't seem to notice. Katara does, though. Giving her brother a mocking smirk, she looks over at Hana.

"That's great, Hana! I'm glad that you're getting to spend so much time with them!"

Noticing the dessert table, Hana rushes over and starts grabbing some. "I know! This is fantastic!" Shoving a piece of food in her mouth, she says, "Well, I have to get back to Suki and the warriors. I just thought I'd stop by and let you know where I'm at. See you all later!"

That being said, she disappears out the door like a specter and it's as if she'd never been there at all. Despite the extremely short length of Hana's return, however, Sokka's irritation has tripled.

"Trader!" he shouts out.

Aang and Katara do nothing but laugh in his face.

"I'm sorry, big brother, but you deserved that."

Red hot fury running through his veins, Sokka hops to his feet. "I don't believe this! Who does Hana think she is, anyway? Going off and training with those… those… gah! I'll show her a thing or two. I'll show them all!" Stomping over to the dessert table, he grabs as much food as his arms will carry before stomping outside and slamming the door.

* * *

Walking back to the Kyoshi Warrior's dojo, Larissa laughs to herself. Oh, gosh. She couldn't help herself. Seeing Sokka's face as she walked in all dressed up like a Kyoshi Warrior was absolutely priceless! Of course what she'd told Sokka was true, nonetheless. After being brought to their training area yesterday and getting to talk with them all, they offered to let her train with them. They already know that she can't stay for anymore than a few days being a traveling companion of the Avatar's, but it's worth it just the same.

This morning, to Larissa's complete and utter amazement, Suki even had a uniform all laid out for her. When watching the show, she'd always thought about how heavy their uniforms must be. However, it's light, airy, and much easier to move in than it looks. The only things heavy about the ensemble would be the fans and the makeup; defiantly the makeup! Even so, Larissa can't help but love it. Without the makeup, she wouldn't look at all like a Kyoshi warrior. The only thing that truly bothers her is her blonde hair. On Halloween three years ago it never bothered her, but it does now. Bright blonde hair clashing with white face paint, Larissa sticks out like a sore thumb. Oh well. At least Suki and the Kyoshi warriors don't seem to mind.

At last Larissa finds her way to the dojo. Ascending the stairs, the girl is greeted happily.

"Hi, Hana. That was one quick trip," says Suki.

"Yeah," she says with a smirk. "It was."

The group of warriors catches on to the smile very quickly.

"What's so funny?" one of them asks.

"Nothing. It's just… you should've seen Sokka's face. Noting can be compared!"

"Sokka?" asks another. "You mean the oaf with the pony-tail?"

"Yeah, him." Larissa pauses before adding, "It's not pony-tail, by the way. It's a warrior's wolf tail."

The throng of them snickers.

"Oh, that's real nice," says the first one.

After a few minutes their laughter subsides. At last a third Kyoshi Warrior says, "Don't laugh at him. I think he's kind of cute."

Larissa can't stop another smirk from coming. "If you think he's cute, than never fear. I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of him."

* * *

"Anything else you want to teach us?"

Suki and the Kyoshi warriors laugh as Sokka lies on the floor tied up by his own belt. If there is one thing that Sokka can honestly say, it is that he has never felt more humiliated in his entire life. Okay. Maybe these aren't just _girls_ after all…

"Hana," says Suki, "do you want us to kick this jerk out of here?"

Blushing deeply in embarrassment, he fully expects Hana to have the Kyoshi Warriors toss him out into the dirt. However, that doesn't happen. Instead, Hana walks over and unties him. Sokka understands that he should feel relieved that she isn't angry, but somehow he actually feels more self-conscious than before. Once he's untied, Hana helps him to his feet and places his belt in the palm of his hand. The whole time he doesn't once look her in the eye.

"No. It's fine, Suki. He's been punished enough. Actually, I promised Katara earlier that I'd help her get supplies for our journey, so I should be leaving anyway."

Suki and the other warriors look at them in surprise. "Okay, then. Will we see you later?"

"Of course. I'll be back in a few hours. See you later, Suki."

Suki smiles as the Water Tribe boy and the light-haired girl make their way to the exit. "Goodbye, Hana."

Once they're outside both of them fall silent. It's not until they're a long ways down the path that one of them speaks.

"So you're not mad at me?" Sokka asks at last.

"No," says Hana. "Not as much mad as I am amused, anyway. You brought that on yourself."

Sokka nods. "I know."

Another long moment of silence passes.

"The Kyoshi Warriors really are incredible, you know. That's why I wanted to go and train with them today."

"Today?" says Sokka. "You were glued to them yesterday, too!"

Hana laughs. "I can't help it. They're awesome! In my lifetime, I haven't gotten to meet too many powerful women. The only powerful women I've ever gotten to meet are Katara and the Kyoshi Warriors."

Sokka scoffs at her words. "Katara? Alright, I can believe that the Kyoshi Warriors are powerful, but _not_ Katara."

Turning to face him, Hana puts her hands on her hips. "Why not? She's already a good waterbender. With the right training she'll be incredible!"

Sokka scratches his head awkwardly. "Well, yeah, but… she's my baby sister. I have a hard time thinking of Katara as powerful. Especially right now…"

Somehow during their conversation the two have made it all the way back to town. In the middle of the street carrying an empty basket is Katara. At the current point in time she is talking to a young woman cradling a baby. The tiny infant holds onto the waterbender's finger as she coos at it.

"Oh, you're so cute! You love to smile, don't you? Yes, you do!"

Arching a brow, Hana looks at Sokka. "Oh, so a woman can't be powerful and love babies at the same time?"

"Hey, I'm just saying. I'm a powerful Water Tribe warrior, and you'll never catch me baby-talking to some adorable, tiny, little, creature."

"Creature? For crying out loud, Sokka, it's a _baby_! Face facts. One day you're going to have children and you will be cooing after them just the same as any mother."

Pausing in his steps for a second, Sokka considers this. To be honest, he'd never actually thought of that. In attempt to defend his male pride he says, "Well, yeah, if it's my own child. I'm not going to walk up to every baby I see on the street and go _'Oh, you're so cute! I just want to pinch your cute little baby cheeks! Oh, goodness me, you're so CUTE!'_"

The people on the streets around them are starting to stare, appearing slightly freaked out. Wherever Katara had been a second ago, it doesn't matter. Now the braided girl is gone off somewhere else.

"Alright, Sokka, I get your point. You're just as manly and powerful as ever."

"Actually," says Sokka, "that wasn't my point. My point is that Katara may be a waterbender, but she isn't as powerful as you say she is. Suki, now _that's_ a powerful woman."

Hana smirks teasingly. "Yes, she is. She's pretty too, isn't she Sokka?"

It takes a moment, but eventually he gets Hana's point. Turning scarlet, he shouts, "What? No! That's not what I meant! It's just that… she's a good fighter."

The teasing smirk never leaves her face. "Uh only that, but she's smart, and brave, and she wears the makeup well."

Sokka groans in aggravation. "Hana, stop it! That's not the point I'm trying to make!"

Seeing the full extent of his irritation, Hana never lets up. Geez, it's almost like Hana _likes_ annoying him! "I knew it. Sokka has a crush on Suki!"

"Hana, will you quit it! Someone might hear you!"

Now the young girl lets out loud guffaws, giving the townspeople even more reason to stare at them. "I'm sorry, Sokka. I couldn't help it. You know I'm only kidding."

Oblivious to the stares of the islanders, Hana and Sokka keep walking. As they do, Sokka observes her. Well everything that Hana named off about Suki is true, what she doesn't realize is that it's also true for her. Whether Hana realizes it or not, she too is very smart. Not only that, but she's very brave. Also, and Sokka knows for a fact that Hana doesn't give herself much credit for this, Hana is very pretty. Whether it is in borrowed blue Water Tribe robes or in the uniform and face paint of the Kyoshi Warriors, the fifteen-year-old is dazzling in a different and foreign kind of way. Once he realizes that he's been staring at her the whole time, he blushes brighter than before. Turning around, Hana catches him.

Jestingly, she whispers, "I was right though. You're face is heating up. You do have a crush on Suki."

At this Sokka forces an awkward smile. "You're right. You've caught me."

Satisfied, Hana turns around and continues walking. One thing that the girl doesn't realize, that she might not ever realize, is that Sokka just lied through his teeth.

* * *

"Hana. It's nice to see you back in your own clothes," says Katara.

Twenty minutes have passed and Larissa is back in their room with Katara. Aang is off with his girls and Sokka ran off the moment they got through the door. Admittedly, he seemed kind of flustered. It is because of this that Larissa feels kind of bad. Perhaps she'd pushed it too far with the teasing. Oh well. What's done is done. Knowing Sokka, he'll get over it soon enough.

"I have to admit that it feels nice, too. Training with the Kyoshi Warriors is fun, but the makeup sometimes feels like a bit much."

Katara walks over to a table and grabs two empty baskets. Behind those, Larissa notes, is a full one. It's most likely the one Katara was shopping with earlier. Handing the older girl a basket, Katara and Larissa walk towards the door.

"Thanks for helping with the shopping, by the way. I tried getting Aang to help earlier, but that _obviously_ didn't work out," Katara says peevishly.

Larissa instantly knows her pain. "Let me guess," She says. "He's busy showing off for the Avatar Aang _fan club_?"

"That would be correct."

The girls wind the way through the earthen streets of Kyoshi Island until they come to the market place. According to Katara, it's overflowing with vegetables that she wasn't able to get earlier due to the lack of help.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, Katara," Larissa says. Considering that they're leaving the island soon, she really should've been there.

"It's okay," the waterbender says. "I'm just glad that you're here now. With Aang off entertaining his flock and with Sokka off frolicking somewhere, you have no idea how thankful I am for the help."

"Believe me, Katara. It isn't a chore. Spending time with you is fun."

"Well, I'm glad somebody still thinks so," the Water Tribe girl states bitterly. "There are others on this island that thinks I'm boring and jealous."

Larissa laughs. "Forget what Aang says. You're not boring and you're not jealous. Really, Aang doesn't think that either."

Finally easing up, Katara laughs too. "Thanks."

Going through the market place, the two girls fill up their baskets with vegetables before paying the woman behind the counter. Their vessels being only half full, the ladies then decide to make their way over to a fruit stand.

"You know," says Katara, "I'm surprised. No offense, but I thought for sure that you'd be off somewhere with Sokka this afternoon."

Confused, Larissa arches her brow. "What would make you think that?"

"Nothing. It's just that… I thought I saw you together in town earlier. You two weren't busy… hanging out… or anything?"

"Not really," Larissa states with a shrug. "I was busy training with the Kyoshi Warriors like I said. I might have stayed longer, but Sokka kind of changed that."

Katara gives a smirk, making it known that she's trying to hold back laughter. "Don't tell me. He showed up there, didn't he?"

All it takes is a second for Larissa to share that smirk. "Oh, yeah. Let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight."

"Oh, gosh. What did he do?"

Larissa starts to giggle. "Well… let's see. First he mocked them, called them _a bunch of girls_, and claimed to be the best warrior in his village. After that, Suki asked him to… show them a few moves…"

Katara begins snickering. "Sokka's such an idiot. What happened after that?"

"To make a long story short, it didn't work out well for him. He ended up with his hand and leg tied together by his own belt."

Snickers turn to laughs. "Really? Oh, that's terrible! I have to use that one on him later!"

All of their goods gathered and paid for, the girls make their way back to their room laughing. As they do, Larissa feels an urgent need to sneeze. Seeing no need to hold it in, she lets it out right there. When she does, however, something strange happens. Opening her eyes, Larissa notices that she's standing five feet back from where she'd been previously. Blue eyes wide and gaping, Katara stares at her.

"Hana, what was that?" Katara asks, appearing slightly frightened.

Looking around, she stares back at Katara. "I don't know."

The two stand there dormant and unmoving. A second or two passes, and they eventually decide that whatever happened doesn't matter. Continuing onward, the two girls go right back to their previous conversation and continue laughing at Sokka.

* * *

The room is suddenly very quiet. A while ago Aang came in bragging about how he was going to ride the unagi. After he'd left Katara was not a happy waterbender. For about thirty minutes the dark-haired girl paced around the room angrily fuming to Larissa about what an idiotic jerk Aang had become. Then it's as if something hit her.

"Oh no!" she'd said. "Aang's going to ride the unagi! He'll get himself killed!"

"I thought that you said you didn't care," Larissa had pointed out.

"I have to stop him!"

With that the Water Tribe girl rushed out the door in a whir, leaving Larissa behind. With Katara off rescuing Aang and with Sokka off with Suki, this leaves Larissa completely alone. After almost a week of constantly being around others, being with nobody but herself feels strange. She would go find Suki and spend some time with her, but she wouldn't want Sokka to be upset with her for barging in on them. He already seemed out of sorts when he left her with Katara this afternoon. Then she doesn't want to go off with Katara either. Otherwise that would ruin a beautiful Kataang moment.

Deciding that she's going to have to be alone until Zuko and his firebenders get here, Larissa sits down in front of the bowl of water Katara had been practicing her bending on earlier. For some reason she finds herself staring at it before dunking the tips of her fingers into the cool liquid. At times she finds herself wondering what it would be like to be able to control the water like her braided friend. Other times she wonders what it would be like to be able to fly through the air on a glider or to shoot orange flames from the tips of her fingers. Then she's also been curious as to how it would feel to be able to move the earth. Bending is such a beautiful thing to watch; it makes her feel glad that Macy sent her to this dimension. Yet, she sometimes wishes that, rather than watching it all performed, she could control an element herself.

At this thought, she continues stirring her fingers around in the water. A moment later, however, something happens to make her pull her hand away and jump ten feet across the room. Without any type of warning smoke starts pouring out from the bowl as it becomes surrounded by a purple rim.

"Dang it, what am I? A witch?!" she asks herself aloud.

Her exclamation is met with laughter. "Relax, Larissa, you're not a witch. It's just me."

Furrowing her brow, Larissa cautiously makes her way back to the bowl. Peering into it, she sees the black hair and sparkling brown eyes of her best friend Macy. Perfect white walls are set behind her, along with the beautiful leather of the McDaniel family's expensive sofa. Somehow, whether it is possible or not, Larissa is staring right into the McDaniel's living room from an entirely different dimension.

Pulse still thundering, Larissa speaks to her. "What the heck, Macy? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Looking very amused, Macy shrugs. "No, but I have been trying to communicate with you directly. It's taken me over a week with only four hours of sleep a night, but I finally got the converse-bowl to work! Sorry about the pens and the pictures, by the way. I've been trying so hard to communicate with you directly that that promise kind of went down the drain."

Shock masking over her features, she demands, "Macy, what is all this? How are you even talking to me right now? I'm an entire dimension away!" She pauses before asking, "In fact, how am I in this dimensions at all? How the heck did you even get me here? I want answers, Macy!"

"Alright, Larissa, calm down. Before I answer your question I want to know, how do you like it there? Is Avatar Aang's world okay for you?"

Larissa raises her brow at the question. A moment later she finds herself tearing up with joy. "Actually yeah. I love it here. It's wonderful, Macy. I don't know how you did it, but you transported me here and I'm glad you did. It's better here than it was even in my dreams. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I don't want to go home."

To her surprise, Macy seems to sigh in relief rather than burst with joy. "You're serious when you say you don't want to come home, then?"

The blonde girl arches her brow critically. "Yeah... I mean, if it gets bad enough with mom and my sisters I'll leave without a doubt, but I still don't _want _to. Why?"

Macy laughs nervously. "Well, see, it makes me feel really glad that you'd say that. A few days after I sent you through the cross-portal using a special potion, I made… a discovery… I guess that's why I've been trying so hard to contact you…"

Larissa's eyes widen as she glares at her friend. "A discovery? Macy, what kind of discovery are we talking about?"

The wealthy girl clears her throat before jumping into the explanation. "First, let me explain the whole cross-portal concept. The "cross" in cross-portal is a way of saying that things can go through both ways. As an example, I was able to send you through as well as the journal and, if you wanted to, you could send someone back through to our side or send me a scroll or something. Not only that, but you would've been able to come back through to our world. However, I've been experimenting with the cross-portal lately and have found something… not good. I looked it over ten times and my professors have looked it over fifty times, and none of us can come to any conclusion as to why this has happened…"

Larissa sighs. "Spit it out, Macy! What's going on?"

Macy's whole demeanor drops as she speaks these next words. "It looks like the "cross" has been taken out of "cross-portal"."

Wide-eyed, she stares. "What does this mean, then? Does it mean I'm stuck here?"

"Weeellll… yeah. You're stuck there. Other professors have looked besides my own, by the way. The only conclusion they've come to is that you've formed some kind of spiritual connection to Avatar Aang's dimension. While other people might be able to leave and come to our dimension as well as solid objects, you cannot. For some reason, the cross-portal won't let you leave. Because of this so-called "spiritual connection" it thinks that you belong there."

A migraine coming on, Larissa rubs her temples. "Let me get this straight. The only reason you've been trying to contact me is because you wanted to tell me that I'm stuck in Avatar Aang's world and can never go back?"

Macy sighs sadly. "No, Larissa. That's not the only reason. I also wanted to tell you that you may not be able to get back to Earth, but we can still speak with each other."

The girl pauses in her speech as her image fades slightly. Fifteen seconds later a package of thirty ink pens flies out of the bowl along with three scattered photos and a tiny leather pouch.

"The pens are there and the photos, just like I promised. They're late, but they're there."

Larissa gathers them up and places them in her lap without truly looking at them. The minuscule pouch of leather, however, she observes closely.

"Macy," she asks, "the pictures and the pens I understand, but what the heck is this?"

"It's a special powder that my professors helped me concoct. Whenever you want to talk to me just sprinkle it near a mirror or into a source of water and I'll be there."

Larissa gives her friend a small grin from a world away. "Thanks, Macy. You're a true friend."

"Thanks for saying so, Larissa. Also, I'm very sorry. I wanted to send you to the Avatar world, but I never meant for you to get stuck there."

"It's okay. I know you didn't." Larissa pauses before adding, "Besides. I meant what I said. I never want to go home. I guess mom, Sarah, Amy, and Darcy will just have to get on without me."

Larissa and Macy say their final goodbyes before the purple-rimmed fog disappears and it is a plain bowl of water once more. Going across the room, Larissa takes up a Water Tribe bag that Katara had given her and tucks her new keepsakes down at the very bottom with her journal. Now that she actually has some easy-to-use writing utensils she has to find time to write. Not right now, though. Because just through the window she can see Fire Nation soldiers riding the backs of rhinos and shooting fire.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Welcome to Chapter Six, aka, The King of Omashu episode! I've been so excited to upload this chapter it isn't even funny! This chapter is one of my favorites, so I hope that you like it. I'd like to update again sometime this week, but I have my road test on Thursday so I might not be able to. If I actually want to pass it I have to study. After all, I can't have my mom dropping me off at college this fall... Well, enough about me. Here's the chapter! :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. I guess I could give Mike and Bryan a call to see if they'd sell it to me, but I don't think it would work... _

* * *

Chapter Six

A Few Hours Later

Sokka sits in front of their campfire sharpening his boomerang. His younger sibling sits across from him on her sleeping bag cross-legged. To his right the airbender lies on his back, playing some kind of game with momo and a piece of fruit. Then, on his left, is Hana. Using a brush borrowed from his sister, she unfurls her hair so that it's cascaded around her shoulder in a wave of gold. After escaping from the Fire Nation prince a second time it's clear to all of them that relaxing by the fireside under the branches of the trees is exactly what they need.

"Wow. Another narrow escape from Zuko. I don't want to force my way through too many of those," says Katara as she kneels over and adds wood to the campfire.

Hana pulls her knees up to her chest, the firelight glowing brightly against her ivory skin. "I know," she says. "How he tracks us down so easily, I'll never know. He's certainly driven, I'll give him that."

Orange flames glint off of Sokka's boomerang as he runs a piece of stone across its edge. "Yes. He's _too_ driven. Right now I'm just hoping that we don't have to run into him again for a good long time."

Aang, his usual chipper self, gives a wide grin. "Hey, at least we got away. If we got away this time it means that we'll be able to get away next time too, so why all the gloomy faces? You should all be excited. In a few days we're going to be in Omashu!"

"Aang," says Katara, "you promised that our mission is getting to the North Pole."

"I know, and I guarantee that we'll get there. Just one day in Omashu, and we're gone. I promise."

Katara gives a small frown. Then she smiles. "Okay. One day in Omashu sounds like it could be nice. What do you think, Hana?"

The fifteen-year-old beams widely. "Oh, yes! I definitely want to go to Omashu. It sounds fascinating. I know that I grew up in an urban area, but I still haven't gotten to see a major Earth Kingdom city. Even if it's only for a day, I'd love to see it!"

Katara nods happily. "Okay. What about you, Sokka."

The Water Tribe boy shrugs before replying enthusiastically. "Sure, why not. Besides, I could use some good Earth Kingdom food."

"All right!" Aang exclaims. "To Omashu we go! You guys are going to love it!"

From there Aang jabbers on about how wonderful the big city is, how it's the biggest city in the Earth Kingdom besides Ba Sing Se, and blah, blah, blah. Going to Omashu really does sound like fun to Sokka, but his mind is not yet there. Rather, his mind is back on Kyoshi Island. After leaving Hana with Katara he found himself feeling extremely guilty over what had happened with Suki. Not only that, but he'd felt awkward around Hana after the teasing.

_'__Wow,'_ Sokka says to himself. _'I've never met a girl blinder than Hana!'_

Back on Kyoshi Island, Suki had even said so herself. Once the news came from Oyagi that Zuko and his firebenders had reached Kyoshi Island, they'd rushed out the door. For a while he'd tried to fight them alongside the Kyoshi Warriors, but it wasn't any use. After that he'd somehow found himself behind one of the buildings with Suki who'd told him to get out of there with Aang, Katara, and Hana. Before he'd left, however, she'd done something surprising.

Engulfing him in a hug, the girl in the face paint had told him, "By the way, I'm sorry about Hana. Don't worry, though; you're a great guy. She'll come around." Of course, he didn't have time to say anything in response. All she'd said after that was, "Now go! We'll hold them off."

He winces at the memory. Is it really that obvious?

"What do you think, Sokka?"

Aang's jovial voice comes crashing through Sokka's private thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, Aang. What did you say?"

"Doesn't Omashu sound great?"

Sokka gives the boy a smile. "Yeah. It does. I can't wait for it."

* * *

Four Days Later

Larissa, Katara, and Sokka climb toward the crest of a small hill, Aang at the front of the group. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the little throng reaches the top. Once there, the sight of it takes Larissa's breath away. It isn't a lie. Omashu seriously is the second biggest city in the Earth Kingdom. Sitting at the top of a large rocky point, its walls look large, impressive, and impenetrable. From this angle, it is clearly seen that one doesn't simply hike up to it either. The city looks as though it's accessible by a small, narrow, road. Gaping Larissa can hardly imagine anything bigger. Strange, considering that she's from suburban Chicago.

Aang, happy at the sight of the familiar place, spreads his arms widely. "The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!"

Peeking over at the Water Tribe siblings, they are obviously just as stunned as Larissa.

"It looks so incredible!" Larissa cries out to nobody in particular.

The airbender states, "I used to always come here to visit my friend, Bumi."

"Wow," says Katara. "We don't have cities like this in the South Pole."

"They have buildings here that don't melt!" Sokka exclaims in wonderment.

Aang, containing enough enthusiasm for all four of them, launches himself further down the hill with his airbending. "Well, let's go slow pokes! The real fun is inside the city!"

As he does, Larissa notices as Sokka's eyes light up with an unspoken emotion. Katara's do as well. Thinking back to the episode, Larissa suddenly understands.

The first to speak is Katara. "Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."

"You need a disguise," Sokka states. Then he turns in the light-haired girl's direction. "And so does Hana."

Her eyes widening in shock, Hana turns to face him. "Okay. I understand why Aang needs a disguise, but why me?"

"Don't get me wrong, Hana. You're a lovely girl, but it's your hair."

Acknowledgement washes over her as she runs a hand over the back of her fair mane. "Oh. Now I get it. It is a pretty odd color, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately, it is," says Katara with empathy. "It makes our group too recognizable."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Turn it darker with magic?"

Katara puts an index finger to her chin in a considering fashion. "Good point."

There's a short moment of silence, when Aang shouts something out.

"Wait! I've got an idea!" the monk exclaims with a smile.

Larissa arches her brow, as do the others. "What kind of idea are we talking about?"

* * *

Larissa scratches at the fake head of hair as she observes herself in a small mirror owned by Katara. Somehow they'd managed to braid together Appa's fur in order to make her a long, white wig that covers part of her face. Using a few hair pins owned by both herself and Katara, her real hair is pinned up and out of the way.

"I look ridiculous," she grumbles.

Aang, wearing a gargantuan sized wig and mustache, does his best to comfort her. "No you don't, Hana. You just look like a poofy-haired old lady."

Hana blushes. "Gee. Thanks."

Katara and Sokka chuckle in amusement. Another moment passes and Larissa gives a chortle as well.

"The things I do for the safety of the group," she says with a lopsided smile.

"Don't be upset, Hana. This is great! You two look just like my grandparents," Sokka says happily.

That is the moment when Aang chooses to pick up his staff. Hunching over like an elder, he speaks in an old man voice. "Now let's get to skippin', young whippersnappers! The big city awaits."

Doing her best to seem like an old lady, Hana goes over and grabs Aang by the arm. To Sokka and Katara, she says, "You two children behave in the city, or you're getting the punishment of a lifetime!"

The four of them begin to chuckle.

"Okay, Gran," Sokka jests. "I wouldn't want you to knit me a sweater."

Satisfied with their disguises, the throng of children makes their way up the path to the great city of Omashu. It's only now that it occurs to Larissa what they're going to have to go through once inside the city. Even as a child "the world's greatest super slide" did _not_ look fun. She shudders at the thought of having to get on that thing for real. An hour passes the group by in silence. Eventually Sokka ends up next to Aang, and Larissa next to Katara. Not knowing what else to talk about, the two girls fall into an in-depth conversation about how cute Momo would look in a sweater. Once Larissa brought up that Momo would look cuter in a hat, the conversation turned into more of a friendly argument. So involved did they get in the disagreement that they don't even notice as they make it to the very top near the city's entrance.

"…but a sweater would look so much better. Especially if it was sewn together with Water Tribe colors. Imagine how cute he'd look," Katara explains.

"I still think sweaters are overrated," Larissa defends. "A little hat that straps on under the chin in Earth Kingdom colors, admit it to me now. Momo would look so adorable!"

Aggravated at being forced to listen to this conversation, Sokka slaps himself in the forehead multiple times. To be honest, having the boy whack himself is half the fun to the girls.

"You know what?" Sokka shouts. "Later we can take Momo shopping, play dress up with him, and take a vote! For now, let's just focus on getting into Omashu!"

The two females clad in Water Tribe blue snicker as the boy turns back around. Once their bouts of laughter are over they realize how close the gate actually is. Remembering their roles, Hana moves back over toward Aang and gets into character.

"You guys are going to love Omashu," says Aang. "The people here are the friendliest in the world."

As if waiting for some type of cue, a gate guard is seen angrily shouting at a skinny looking man trying to enter the city.

"Rotten cabbages? What kind of slum do you think this is?"

The livid-looking man crushes the offending vegetable in his hand before knocking the rest of the cart over the side of the access road. Larissa can't help but feel kind of bad for him. Not because of this incident, but because it's never going to get any better. Then she smiles, remembering that that filled much of the humor for her in seasons one and two.

"No! My cabbages!"

It doesn't take much to notice how nervous the sight makes her three traveling companions, not to mention herself.

"Just keep smiling…" Aang whispers to them.

As they approach the guard who'd previously destroyed the cabbage merchant's cart, he goes up to Aang and earthbends a huge boulder over his head.

"State your business."

Knowing what's about to happen, Larissa massages her temples nervously as she stands back closer to Sokka and Katara. Rushing up to the man with an index finger pointed at his chest, Aang begins shouting.

"My business is my business, young man, and none of yours! I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"

Jumping into the role as wife, Larissa walks up to Aang as the guard drops the boulder in surprise. Slapping the air nomad on the shoulder, she scolds him in a high-pitched old woman voice.

"Don't you dare talk to this nice man like that! He's just doing his job! If you go around shouting at people one more time, you're going down to the market and getting your own papayas from now on!"

Aang responds lividly with false anger. "Don't you threaten me, woman! If anything, I'm doing _my_ job and defending the homestead!"

Meanwhile Katara and Sokka stand back, looking on with fear. Lucky for them, there really isn't much to be scared of.

Doing his best to keep the supposed elderly couple calm, the guard speaks. "Settle down, old timers. Just tell me who you are."

Grinning, Aang steps right up to him. "Name's Bonzu Pipinpadaloxicopolis, the Third, and this is my wife Lou and our grand kids. We've been married for sixty years already! Can you imagine that?"

Just like on the show, Katara approaches. "June Pipinpadaloxicopolis. Nice to meet you."

The guard points to Katara. "You seem like a responsible young lady. Be sure to keep your grandparents out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu."

"We will!" says Katara.

Relieved that they've been given clearance, Larissa walks alongside Aang arm-in-arm. Now it's time to get past the most _fun_ part of the day; the super slide. Larissa gives an internal groan as the city gates close behind them.

* * *

Somehow, be it a curse or an evil curse, Aang managed to find a stone bin that's large enough to seat all of them. Hugging herself tightly, she fears for her life as she feels the bin teeter back and forth. With Katara in front of her and Sokka behind her, Larissa is fairly certain that they're every bit as nervous as she is.

"One ride, then we're off to the North Pole, Airbender's honor."

Knowing what's coming next, Larissa hugs herself even tighter. Both in front of her and behind her, she feels her companions stiffen.

"This sounded fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second thoughts!"

Much too frightened to look up, Larissa feels as the bin slides down the chute rapidly. Based on her knowledge from the show, she understands that this is a complete vertical drop. Any second now the girl knows that the rack of spears is going to be coming also. Larissa suddenly feels nauseous. Sure enough, based on the distressing noises coming from around her coupled with the feel of Sokka ducking and moving forward, she knows that she is correct.

"Aang!" Larissa shouts out in gut-quenching fear.

"I'm on it! I'm on it!" the airbender bellows.

The blonde girl feels as the bin rocks back and forth before derailing and falling onto the rooftop below. Once off of the rooftop she hears nothing but the rushing of air and gasping from around her. This is most likely the scene with the Earth Kingdom soldiers being addressed by the officer that she'd loved from Macy's living room. At the current moment in time, however, Larissa could care a less. A millisecond later the bin is again on track and flying down a chute. How Aang managed this she isn't at all certain, but she's thankful nevertheless. It is at this point Larissa has decided that she's never been more thankful for anything in her entire life. Then the next scene happens.

"Aang do something! Use your airbending!" Katara shouts out in distress.

"Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us go even faster!"

Two seconds later, Larissa discovers that Aang is right. Airbending really does make them go faster! From here the girl pays no attention to what's happening at all. All she knows is that this bin is moving and that it's moving at light-speed. What kind of insane person could possibly find this _fun_?! Not knowing what else to do, Larissa lifts up a prayer.

_'__Please don't let me die… Please don't let me die… I'm sorry for that time I put a spider in Amy's hair and I'm also sorry for gluing Sarah's butt to the dining room chair that other time. It was a mistake! Please don't let me die… Please don't let me die…'_

Suddenly, a thought occurs to her.

_'__Should I be praying to the Christian God or some kind of nature spirit from this world?'_

About a minute after the notion, however, it doesn't matter. The bin has again derailed, this time crashing directly into a cabbage cart. Cabbages fly everywhere as if hit by a bomb and the children fall in a heap. Everything slowing down, Larissa looks up and sees that Aang's disguise is completely gone. Wondering about herself, she reaches up and feels her head. As she does this the discovery is made that her wig has also vanished, her golden mane in a messy pile over both shoulders.

"My cabbages! You're going to pay for this!"

The cabbage merchant's voice brings her mind to what they've just done. Larissa, however, isn't scared as Earth Kingdom soldiers surround the four of them. She'd rather face the wrath of King Bumi than ride that thing any day!

She hears Aang as he laughs sheepishly from beside her. "Two cabbages please."

* * *

"Heheh! The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin."

Larissa listens as Bumi speaks from behind them. She and each of her companions wear a blank expression, as if deciding what to think. In the show she'd always liked Bumi's character. Right now, however, he just appears like a lunatic.

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat," Aang replies easily.

Taking a step to his left, the king rubs Larissa on the head. "Neither does your friend, apparently, as bony as she seems. No matter. There're plenty of vegetables." Bumi paces over to the spot next to the girl, addressing Sokka. "How about you? I bet you like meat."

He sticks the drumstick in Sokka's mouth before walking over to the opposite end of the table. Larissa ignores the sound of the boy's pleased chewing as she listens to Katara's whispered words.

Making cakoo motions next to her head, she points out, "Is it just me, or is this king's crown a little crooked?"

Deciding that she might as well eat, Larissa picks up a random piece of fruit from the table's center. Occasionally the girl reaches up to scratch her head, doing her best not to appear impolite. While her wig was completely lost after that ride of lunacy, several pieces of Appa's fur are still stuck in her hair. Not only do they make her itchy, but she is trying very hard not to sneeze. As crazy as it sounds, Larissa now finds herself wondering if she is allergic to bison dander…

"So tell me, young bald one." Bumi says from across the table. "Where are you from?"

The girl takes a large bite out of her fruit, doing her personal best not to sneeze. Meanwhile, Aang answers awkwardly.

"I'm from… Kangaroo Island."

The urge still not gone, she gnaws at the food some more.

"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hoppin'!"

A long silence ensues, Larissa still trying to hold back the sneeze. Any moment now Sokka will start laughing and distract everyone, taking all wandering eyes in his direction. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. As is typical luck for Larissa, she releases it right there with a loud echo. Upon opening her eyes, she realizes that she's three feet back from her previous spot. Not only that, but she notices Bumi eyeing her curiously.

Larissa laughs nervously. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Bumi says. The whole time his eyes never leave her. "I wouldn't want one of my dinner guests to have a cold."

The pale-skinned girl forces a smile. "I don't have a cold," she assures him. "I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure? If not, I might ask you to spend the night in the infirmary. It's not too often I've seen a sneeze like that one."

The three others witnessing the scene look from Larissa to Bumi and back again. Suddenly, Larissa feels the need to leave. Not really processing what she plans on saying, she speaks.

"No. I really am fine, Bumi. We were actually planning on leaving soon."

The king raises a brow at her, as do the others. Running the words through her head, Larissa realizes what it is she's just said. A stunned silence ensues until, at last, Aang decides to speak. Shocked, the airbender shouts out from next to her.

"Bumi?!"

The king winces, obviously not happy with being caught. Turning to the airbender, he gives a slight smile. "Hi, Aang."

The Avatar is still obviously stunned. "Is it really you?"

"Yes. How your friend knew of my identity I can't guess, but it really is me."

Aang's shock fades and transforms into a smile. "I don't believe it!"

Bumi crosses his arms, looking upset. "I don't believe it either. I had it all planned out. Everything was going perfectly, but now it looks like my plans are ruined. What a shame."

Each of them gazes at Bumi oddly for a moment. Finally processing the situation, one of the Water Tribe siblings speaks.

"Wait?" says Katara. Based on the look on her face, something wonderful has just occurred to her. "You're Aang's old friend, Bumi?"

He nods. "Yes. That is, after all, what I just confessed."

"That's great!" Katara says.

Sokka, finally taking a breath from his drumstick, catches on to Katara's meaning. Swallowing the last of his food, he continues on in place of his sister. "You're one of Aang's friends from the past? That is great! Because you're such good friends with Aang will you let us leave?"

Bumi picks a piece of lettuce off of his plate at Sokka's question. "Lettuce leaf?" The king chomps into it as the children stare.

"Yep," says Sokka. "I think we're in trouble. This guy is nuts!"

Replacing the vegetable to his tray, Bumi speaks. "It may be true that I am a previous friend of Aang's, but remember that you are still the juveniles who destroyed an entire stand of merchandise. As the King of Omashu, I must choose one of you to face three deadly challenges."

Picking up his glider with pride, Aang stands to his feet. "I understand, Bumi. What we did was wrong. I'll face the consequences and take on your challenges."

The elderly ruler shakes his head. "That's very noble of you, Aang, but I'm afraid that it can't be you."

Aang looks at his friend, clearly in puzzlement. "What? But I'm the Avatar. It has to be me!"

"No," says Bumi. "I don't want _you _to face my challenges. Instead I want your friend, Hana, to face my challenges."

* * *

Hana sits cross-legged on her bed, astonishment painting over her every feature. Sitting next to her is Katara, the Water Tribe girl placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Aang leans against the wall across from them looking to be very deep in thought. Meanwhile, Sokka paces the room fuming.

"I don't believe this! Three deadly challenges? That is so unfair! Hana can't even bend!"

"Sokka, you have to calm down," says his baby sister. "All you're doing is adding stress."

Pausing in his steps, the boy glares at his sibling. "I'm adding stress? I'm not the one who's keeping us all prisoner and making a fifteen-year-old girl without bending face three deadly challenges! This is impossible! How is Hana _possibly_ supposed to get through this?"

"Katara's right, Sokka. Please! You have to calm down," soothes the airbender.

"Ugh. Fine!" stomping over to a nearby bed, Sokka flops down onto his back in an exaggerated fashion. "There, I'm happy and at peace with the universe. Are you happy now?"

Aang gives a slight nod, ignoring the boy as he begins addressing the light-haired girl. "You know, Hana, I don't think you're in any real danger. This is my friend Bumi we're talking about. If he wants you to do the challenges instead of me I'm sure there's a good reason."

"I know," Hana replies. "I'm just nervous because Sokka could be right. How is a nonbending teenage girl supposed to face a series of deadly trials? Before this I would've staked my life on it that Aang would be the one facing the challenges!"

"Yeah," says Aang. "I was actually thinking the same thing…"

Katara stands up from Hana's bed and walks around to an empty one. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. We might as well rest. Hana's going to need all her strength for in the morning."

From there the room goes silent as everyone gets in their beds and attempts sleep. No matter what they say, however, there's no bright side to this situation for Sokka. If Hana gets herself killed trying to carry out these tasks, then King Bumi is never going to feel safe for as long as he lives. This thought causes Sokka to wonder. How much longer will that be? A week? For the first time that night, the boy smirks before turning over on his stomach and _almost_ nodding off.

* * *

The next morning comes and Larissa's eyes fall open. Just like she'd expected, the other three beds in the room are unoccupied. Well, the time has come. It's only now that everything's gotten the chance to sink in that she wonders how she'll possibly get through these trials. These are supposed to be Aang's challenges, not hers! Aang should be the one left in here and she should be the one getting one of those creeping crystal rings. There's no way she'll be able to get that key out of that danged waterfall, no way she'll be able to tame that ugly beast, Flopsy, nor will she be able to fight Bumi _or_ the other two. To be honest, Larissa is fairly certain that she'll die during the first two minutes of the first test.

A sudden rumbling comes from behind, startling her. It's only when Larissa turns that she realizes it's a guard entering the room. Time for the trials already? Wow time flies when a person fears for their life!

"Is it time for the tests?" Larissa asks on impulse.

"Yes," the guard replies. "But first we're taking you to the throne room."

Larissa gives a stiff nod before rising and following him. The entire time she's hardly paying attention to their path of travel. All she's thinking is how she'll get through all of this being a nonbender. How does she get herself into these situations?! At long last, they enter the throne room. Bumi is seen wearing the same hideous purple outfit from _The King of Omashu_ episode. Larissa scans the room in search of her friends, but doesn't see them anywhere.

"Good morning, Miss Hana," King Bumi greets.

"Good morning," she says carefully. Not seeing Aang or Katara or Sokka anywhere, she voices the question that she should've asked earlier. "If you don't mind my asking, where are my friends?"

"Ah," he says. "Don't worry. You'll see your friends again as long as you complete my challenges. But first, Miss Hana, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion."

Feeling irritated by this, she does her best to sound casual. "It's nice. I guess I like the colors."

"Excellent! You passed the first test."

The girl sighs. "One of the deadly ones?"

Bumi scratches his head in a thoughtful manner. "Well, ah… no. The real challenges are much more… challenging."

Larissa puts a palm to her forehead. "King Bumi, I mean no disrespect, but I _cannot_ do these challenges. I'm a talent-less adolescent girl that can't bend. I'm not trying to be rude, but I don't think that I'm physically capable of performing these tasks."

The king smiles wickedly. "Oh I thought you might refuse…"

Suddenly there is the sound of sliding rock. Inside of a corridor being held by guards are Sokka, Katara, and Aang. Each guard slips a ring on his prisoner's finger. A ring Larissa is pretty sure that she's seen before. The moment the rings are on her friends struggle to remove them and fail.

"…so I will give your friends some special souvenirs. Those delightful rings are made of pure genemite, also known as creeping crystal. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

A shriek from Sokka is heard loudly from the corridor. "Ah! It's already creeping!"

Larissa peeks at them before turning her gaze back to Bumi. Grimacing, she speaks to him.

"Fine. I'll complete your challenges."

* * *

An hour or so passes and Larissa finds herself standing at the bottom of a giant pit. Looking up, she sees a towering piece of rock with a perfect set of stairs carved into the side. Turning her head a bit to the right, she notices King Bumi standing at the edge of a balcony. To his left are Aang, Sokka, and Katara being watched closely by guards. The crystal already covers them up to the shoulders.

"Because of your apparent lack of bending I had to change the setting for the first challenge. I hope you don't mind."

Larissa sighs in relief. She doesn't mind at all. While the task she has to carry out is far from easy, at least there is no longer the issue of rushing water and a thousand sharpened stalagmites.

"It seems I've lost my lunchbox key and I'm hungry." Looking up at the top of the small mountain, he outstretches an arm. "Ooo, there it is. Would you mind fetching it for me?"

Knowing that she has to get past this challenge, Larissa spots the stairs and runs straight for them. She may not be Aang, an Avatar, or even a bender, but that doesn't mean that she can't climb to the top of a mountain. People in her _own_ world can do that! Moving as fast as she can, Larissa takes the rocky stairs two at a time eventually making it a quarter of the way up. However, before she can get any further, the stairs flatten out to form a type of slide. Caught off guard, the girl loses her balance and slides all the way down to the bottom.

"Ahh! Uh!" she lands back at the base of the cliff with a hard thud. Great. This is just great.

Working her way to her feet, Larissa observes the mountain again. Obviously the stairs aren't the way to go. She should've known that straight from the beginning. Of course, this presents another problem. The front of the mountain facing away from the stairs is completely evened out. The texture almost matches that of a sheet cake, not a foothold in sight. Lovely. This is even more wonderful than the stairs. Not knowing what else she could possibly do, Larissa makes her way back over to the stairs and runs up them faster than before. This time she gets a little over a quarter of the way up, making her think that it'll work this time. Of course, just like her last attempt, the stairs flatten out and she slides all the way down to the bottom. The girl stands up and dusts off the front of her blue Water Tribe robes in aggravation.

"Taking the stairs. No one's thought of that before," Bumi states from the balcony.

"Well, what did you expect?!" shouts Sokka. "That thing you're making her climb is as smooth as a melon!"

Ignoring them both, Larissa observes the gigantic mass of earth a third time. Smiling to herself, she discovers something; Sokka's wrong. It's not as smooth as a melon. Right next to the stairs almost completely out of sight are minuscule platforms and crevices. It's at that point that an idea strikes her. Loosening the belt tied around her waist, Larissa makes a dash for the stairs again feeling twice as confident as before.

_'__Hopefully this works,'_ she says mentally.

Again Larissa rushes back up the earthen steps getting no more than a quarter of the way up. Although, this time when the stairs flatten out, she jumps. Using her belt as a type of rope, she loops it around a small piece of jagged rock and pulls herself up. Balancing herself out on an earthy platform that juts out slightly, she works her way over to the next one while waiting for the stairs to reform. Once they do Larissa gets back on them and goes up as far as she can. Being halfway up when they flatten out once more, she finds another sharpened piece and removes herself from the hazard yet again.

"Whoo, go Hana! Show that mountain whose boss!" Sokka cheers.

Larissa smiles at the sound of his voice, trying not to get distracted. Finally knowing her method, she repeats these actions until finally reaching the top. Once there she discovers that there aren't any more crevices and footholds, so she has to do a three-foot jump before the stairs disappeared from beneath her. For a second she almost didn't think she'd make it. Somehow, to her very deep shock, she did though. Picking up the key, the blonde-haired woman holds it up for everybody to see.

"Here's your key! Take it! I'm ready for the next challenge!"

Bumi smiles mischievously. "Wonderful! I'm glad you're so willing because I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet, Flopsy.

* * *

Another hour passes. This time Larissa finds herself in the depths of a shallow arena. To be precise, the same shallow arena from the show. Feeling the need to see how her friends are doing, Larissa gazes up behind the railing. Standing toward the edge is King Bumi. Behind him are her three friends, now covered from neck to ankle in the crystal.

"Find Flopsy and bring him to me, won't you, dear? Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsy!"

Internally groaning, Larissa looks around the arena for the huge monster. Already knowing which animal is Flopsy this should be easier for her than it was for Aang on the show. Unfortunately, however, the ugly beast is nowhere to be seen.

Shrugging, Larissa calls him. "Flopsy! Come here Flopsy!"

Then, almost out of nowhere, the monster appears. Smiling happily, she walks up to it. From behind the railing Katara, Sokka, and Aang look on in fear, terrified that the beast is going to rip her head off. Bumi, on the other hand, cocks his brow in surprise. Even though she knows that she shouldn't Larissa enjoys the sight of it. It almost makes her want to laugh!

Being mere inches away from the creature, the girl spreads her arms apart. "Flopsy! There you are!"

The giant, hideous, _thing_ begins wagging its tail happily at the sight of her. Larissa is startled, however, when it picks her up tenderly and starts to lick her. As it does the girl finds herself giggling. Meanwhile, those beyond the railing look on feeling both disturbed and surprised. Well, everyone except for Bumi. He just looks impressed.

Larissa can't suppress a smirk. "Okay, I found Flopsy. What's next?"

* * *

"Your final test is a dual and as a special treat you may choose your opponent. Point and choose."

The same two tough looking characters from the show flank King Bumi on either side. Larissa already knows that she can't choose King Bumi. That is one mistake that she will not repeat. So instead she decides between the other two. There's the one on the left with the ax and a wicked smile, then there's the muscular one on the right. Unable to decide which one frightens her more, Larissa points to the guy on the left.

"I choose the guy with the ax."

Bumi nods. "Wise choice."

Using his earthbending, the king transports them both down into the arena. Once there, she shouts back up to the balcony.

"Wait," Larissa says. "Don't a get a weapon or something?"

"It depends. Are you skilled with anything?"

The girl stutters. "Well… Uh… No. But still! How am I supposed to fight this guy?"

Bumi shrugs. "That's for you to decide, young Hana."

Wordlessly, the man with the ax smirks before coming at her with his weapon. Unable to think of anything else to do, Larissa runs for her life. Almost seeming pleased with her fear, the man chases her. Larissa is forced to duck as he swings his sharpened weapon.

"Stand and fight, little girl," he says menacingly.

"Fight? I don't know how to fight!"

He gives an underhanded chuckle. "Then this should be over quickly."

The man with the ax is very wrong when it comes to that statement. This fight is not over quickly by any means. It's true when Larissa says that she can't fight. However, she is perfectly capable of running. Every year in gym class the teacher would always faultlessly beg her to join the track tack team, although she never did. It is because of this that they spend over an hour running around in circles and hiding behind rocks. By this time Larissa is starting to become exhausted. Nonetheless, the girl keeps up her sprinting.

"King Bumi, this is completely pointless!" Sokka yells in irritation. "Nobody is going to win this fight!"

The King chuckles maniacally. "Oh, just you wait. Somebody will win. These things take time."

Dodging another blow and taking cover behind a rock, Larissa feels as her ankles ache and as sweat pours out of her by the gallons. If only Bumi would listen to Sokka! Out of nowhere the ax comes at her again, causing her dodge. She gets up to run some more only to realize that, after an hour, he's finally backed her into a corner.

"Heheh. Any last words, little girl?" he asks cruelly.

"Look, I forfeit. You win. Game over. _Those_ are my last words."

The ax man shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't just surrender. You have to fight. This is a dual after all."

The fatigue and the exhaustion coming to a head, Larissa snaps at him. "I know that, but I don't know how to fight! Even if I did, I don't want to fight you! All I want is to get my friends back and get out of here!"

Chuckling, he lifts up his ax. "You won't fight then? Okay."

Larissa squirms as he readies himself to swing it. A tight and gut-quenching fear running through her veins, she lifts her arms up to shield herself. It's when she does this that something happens. Nobody in their wildest dreams would have ever seen this coming; especially not Larissa. From seemingly out of nowhere, a large gust of wind comes up and shoves the ax man all the way to the other side of the arena. So powerful is the breeze that it knocks him against the wall, causing him to pass out. However, the breeze that did this didn't come out of nowhere. Larissa knows this as does King Bumi.

The wind, one of the most powerful flurries of air that Larissa has ever witnessed, came straight from her fingertips.

Laughing aloud, Bumi speaks to Sokka. "See. I told you someone would win."

* * *

The children stand before Bumi in the throne room. The three are out of their crystal garments and stand beside Hana, mouths hanging agape with shock. Hana simply stares down at her hands in some kind of trance. Snuggled in between Katara and Aang, Sokka watches as the scene plays out. Believe it or not, he is truly convinced that Hana had no idea of her abilities. None of them did. Although, it seems like King Bumi had figured it out. As if looking into their thoughts, the ruler speaks.

"Ah, yes. I've been around for a lot of years. Let me tell you, I know an airbender when I see one."

Her trance finally broken, Hana gazes up at the king. "But, Bumi, I didn't even know that I'm an airbender! How'd you know?"

"I can read the signs. You, Miss Hana, are without a doubt an airbender." Turning to the Avatar, he smiles broadly. "Aang, you're no longer alone in the world. Hopefully while you're mastering the four elements you can make time to train your friend here. Hana will one day be a great airbending master."

The unbridled joy in Aang's grin cannot be compared to anything. "I can't believe it! Another airbender! I'll help teach her, Bumi! I promise!" The little monk turns to the girl. "Hana, when did you want to start?"

The girl laughs in obvious disbelief. Yet, she seems pleased nonetheless. "As soon as possible, I guess. If I'm a bender I might as well learn."

Still not sure about Bumi's methods, Sokka asks a question that's been nagging at him. "But, Bumi, if you knew that Hana was an airbender the whole time why didn't you just tell us?"

"Yeah," says Katara. "Why'd you feel the need to put her through all that?"

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." He laughs before continuing. "Also, none of you would have believed me. Airbenders, after all, are supposed to be extinct."

"Hmm, this is true…" Katara ponders.

Getting up from his throne, Bumi motions to one of the guards. The said guard rushes from the room and comes back with a long wooden stick in hand. Taking it, the king observes it carefully before handing it off to Hana.

"Here," he says. "Before you left, I wanted to give Hana a going away present."

Hana too looks it over with care. Knowing that it's a glider she tries her best to get it to open up, but fails. Seeing that she's in need of help, Aang takes it from her and demonstrates. Once it's fanned out all can see that Hana's nearly speechless.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Hana exclaims at last.

It isn't an exaggeration either. The wooden instrument looks exactly likes Aang's. Only, rather than being orange, it is bright yellow with an occasional strip of blue winding around it. Hana looks up from the glider to King Bumi, beaming.

"Thank you so much!"

The elderly man in the robes chuckles. "No problem. What is an airbender without a staff?" Pausing for a second, he adds, "Just so you know, I got the idea for the colors from your hair and the Water Tribe clothes. I thought that I might personalize it for you."

"Again, thank you! It really is wonderful, Bumi."

Bumi simply smiles. Before he can say anything else, however, Aang steps up to him.

"Thank you for the gift and for your wisdom. But before we leave, _I_ have a challenge for _you_!"

The King of Omashu smirks. "I think I know what you're talking about."

Aang nods eagerly before running toward the exit. "To the mail chutes?!"

"I'm right behind you!"

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, what are your thoughts? Is anyone excited about Hana/Larissa's new bending abilities? I know I am! Nevertheless, there is more to come. Also, I appreciate your reviews. So tell me, what are your thoughts? I'm eager to know! :)**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Okay, just so you know this isn't one of my favorite chapters, yet this chapter is necessary at the same time. In the end I didn't see a way around it, so I just went with it and wrote it. Either way I think that it turned out fairly well. So, anyway, here's the chapter. We've finally made it to "Imprisoned"! We're about ready to meet Haru, so please enjoy! :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. _

* * *

Chapter Seven

The Next Morning

Larissa sneaks up next to the last remaining embers from last night's campfire and snatches up a small wooden bowl. Stowing it away in her Water Tribe bag, the girl scampers off into the woods. So excited was she about her newly found abilities, Larissa could hardly sleep last night. All she could think about was waiting for a chance to go and relay the news to Macy. Now, with everyone else in the group asleep and with the sun barely raised, it is the perfect time. Her friends shouldn't wake up for an hour or more, yet it's still light enough for her to see her way through the woods and to the nearest water source.

Clutching her satchel tightly, Larissa works her way under branches and through foliage until coming to the river. All in all, the journey takes no less than twenty minutes. Kneeling down into the grass, the blonde-headed airbender removes the wooden bowl from her bag before dunking it into the pond. Once it's filled she gets back up to her feet and seats herself in front of a flat rock near the woods. Larissa searches around for the small leather pouch with the powder given to her by Macy, meanwhile making sure that the bowl is perfectly balanced on the course piece of earth. Once the package is found, all Larissa does is stare at it.

"Macy, I really hope that none of you screwed this up!"

Taking a deep breath Larissa opens the little pouch of powder which, peculiarly, happens to be bright red. Eradicating no more than a pinch, the girl sprinkles it over the water bowl hoping that she's doing it right. To her relief it looks like she did because the instant the coarse red substance makes contact with the liquid the crimson residue dissipates and the fog starts to appear. Another second passes and a large, purple, rim starts to line the inside of the bowl. Not knowing if Macy's receiving her otherworldly call or not, Larissa starts to shout out her name in a whisper.

"Macy? Macy, can you hear me? It's me, Larissa! I have something to tell you."

A moment or so later the fog begins to thin out, the image of her sleepy-eyed friend Macy in its place. The dark-haired adolescent releases a yawn.

"Larissa? What are you doing contacting me so early? It's four-thirty in the morning over here!"

The girl winces. "Sorry, Macy. I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I couldn't find the time. Everyone's sleeping right now, so I thought I'd talk to you while I had the chance."

Macy's image disappears for a moment as she reaches over to turn on her bedside lamp. The moment she does, bright violet walls are illuminated along with a large poster of Marilyn Monroe. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Macy peers at the image of her friend.

"Okay. What's up?"

Larissa beams widely, despite the earliness of the hour. "Listen, you know the other day when you contacted me while I was on Kyoshi Island? You told me that I'm stuck in this dimension because of a spiritual connection, right?"

Resting her head in the palm of her hand, Macy nods. "Yeah?"

"Well, guess what? I figured it out!"

At those words, it's as if the girl becomes instantly awake. Beaming back at her, she says, "You did? That's great! You have to tell me how!"

"Actually," says Larissa, "let me show you."

Breathing in carefully, the girl tries to do what Aang told her just last night. In order to intentionally produce the slightest puff of air, one must concentrate. Moving her hands similar to how she did yesterday, she faces her palms outward and concentrates. At first she's afraid that nothing's going to happen and that she'll look like a lunatic. However, that doesn't happen. Instead a large puff of air is released, almost making her tumble backwards. Grinning joyfully, Larissa gazes down at the face of her friend. Surprise shows widely in her dark brown eyes.

"Larissa…?"

The girl jumps up and down like a maniac before reseating herself in front of the bowl. "Isn't it great? I'm an airbender! That's probably why I can't get back through the portal. Because of the spiritual connection that's been created by my airbending, it probably won't let me leave."

Macy scratches her chin. "You know, that really does make _perfect_ sense. Larissa, this is the greatest discovery you've ever made! Once I'm dressed and have had breakfast, I'm visiting my professors! They'll flip when I tell them this! Thank you, Larissa, you're a genius!"

Larissa's own grin never fades. "Thanks. I'm glad you think so. Man, can you _believe_ I'm an airbender?!"

Macy shakes her head. "No, I can't. I'd stake my life on it that my teachers never saw this one coming! Wow, this has gotta be one for your journal, huh?" She pauses before adding, "I'm sorry, Larissa, but I'll have to let you off the line. My professors need to hear this one in person! I'd talk longer, but getting to their headquarters takes a lot of magic even for an enchantress. Goodbye!"

"Bye, Macy. I'll talk to you again soon."

With that, the water turns to a purple-rimmed fog once again before returning to a normal bowl of water. The whole time, Larissa never moves from her spot. Macy's right. This is one for the journal. Not having too much time to write in it, the adorable little book has actually gone untouched. Picking up her bag from next to her and rifling through it, Larissa decides that it's time to change that.

* * *

Two Days Later

The sun is just barely up over the horizon as Larissa sits leaned up against a tree. The other morning when she got to write in her journal it felt wonderful. Recording all of the events that are happening to her during her own personal journey with team Avatar feels magnificent. One day, when it's all said and done, Larissa is even considering sending it back through the cross-portal for her mother and sisters to read so that they can better understand what's happened to her. Well, if she and Macy decide to come clean that is. Digging the pretty book out of her blue fur-pelt bag along with an ink pen, she flips open to an empty page.

Another thing she's decided is that it shouldn't say "Dear Diary" or "Dear Journal" at the beginning. If she one day goes through with sending it back to her own dimension, it has to be something less personal. Shaking with happiness, Larissa puts pen to paper and begins writing.

_Mom, __  
__Since I found out I was an airbender three days ago I've had to do more work than I could ever imagine. I don't mind it though. This is the most rewarding kind of work I could ever ask for. Being one of the only two airbenders on the planet, I feel like it's my duty to learn the stances, techniques, and to learn as much as I can about the air nomads. While I will never be ready to dress in robes and become half bald like the female air nomads of the past, I've still promised Aang that I will do my best to master airbending. Once I'm a master I hope that you, Sarah, Amy, and Darcy can be happy for me. In fact, I hope that you can be happy for me right now. In a way, and I hate to admit this, it feels strange never being able to go home. While I'm hoping that one day Macy might let me talk to you through a converse-bowl I sometimes miss not waking up next to you or Sarah on the futon in the mornings. Even though we were very poor back in Chicago we had a very tight bond that I sometimes miss. Nonetheless, I've been forming new bonds too. Really, if something worked out with the cross-portal and I was suddenly able to go home, I'm not sure if I'd miss Chicago more or the Avatar's dimension. That is an honest tossup for me. In the two-and-a-half short weeks that I've been here I've formed bonds within Avatar Aang's group. The reason I'm staying here isn't just because of my duty as an airbender, but because I honestly have grown to love these people, mom. I hope you can someday forgive me for deserting you. But, if it's any consolation, Aang says that I'm a fast learner at airbending. I've already mastered air blasts, the air ball, the air funnel, and several other basic moves. Now he wants to teach me how to use my glider. You have to see the glider King Bumi gave me. It's marvelous! The craftsmanship is—_

**BOOM!**

A loud noise comes out of nowhere, causing Larissa to drop her pen. Slamming the journal shut, she notes as several birds fly out of their trees. Capping her pen, she shoves it back in her animal skin bag along with Macy's beloved gift. Right then it sounds off again.

**BOOM!**

Jumping to her feet, Larissa is ready to dash through the woods and back to the campsite. Of course before she can something occurs to her. It's been several days since Omashu and they haven't been anywhere near civilization since then. Scrolling through her mental list of Avatar episodes, Larissa remembers that the episode after _The King of Omashu_ is _Imprisoned_. Maybe today is the day when they're supposed to near Haru's village. Then again, it's also before dawn right now. In the episode it was mid afternoon when he was practicing. Could this be Haru or is it something entirely different? Shrugging at the thought the blonde-headed airbender sprints off into the direction of the thundering noise. There's no better time to find out than the present.

The royal blue bag slung over her shoulder, the girl dashes around trees and over bushes. Every thirty seconds the booming sounds off letting Larissa know that she's headed in the right direction. It takes a good ten to fifteen minutes, but at long last Larissa makes her way around the last tree and to a rocky valley with a small waterfall. Down by the water moving a boulder around is the familiar-looking boy with the long brown hair. As he turns Larissa catches a glimpse of his facial features, letting her know for certain that this is undoubtedly Haru. Moving carefully, he bends the boulder from one side of the waterfall to the other, hair swaying as he moves.

To be honest, the _Imprisoned_ episode has never been Larissa's favorite. However, just by eyeing up Haru, the pale-faced girl's mind is changed instantly. Considering how much Larissa made fun of Haru's long feminine hair, Macy would laugh herself sick at her friend's face right now. Larissa hates to admit this even to herself, but his long hair is actually kind of sexy. With the rest of the Gaang asleep, she gets the sight all to herself. For the next ten minutes she watches the boy. Without realizing it she little by little works her way out from the foliage and down near the small valley's rim. Based on her location near the top Haru never notices her. At least he doesn't until she goes all Katara on him and speaks.

"Fantastic bending," she calls down to him in an effortless tone. "I've never gotten to see an earthbender use their bending before."

Clearly startled, he gazes up at her. Looking around quickly he tries to find a place to run to. Seeing as the valley with the waterfall is tiny and closed in, however, he doesn't have much luck. Even so the panic never leaves his gaze.

"Relax. I'm not a tattletale." Taking a calculated risk, Larissa tries to do one of the things that Aang has showed her and airbends herself down the Cliff-side. With all of the training the young Avatar has given her, she's able to do this successfully. "If you won't tell on me, then I won't tell on you."

For a second Haru gapes at her. Shaking it off, he manages to speak at last. "Okay. I'm not going to ask how you just did that. But I will ask how long you've been watching me for."

The girl shrugs. "A few minutes I guess. I was out taking a morning walk and there was this loud booming, so I thought I'd come and check things out. I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. I guess…" Haru states cautiously. Then he adds. "Who are you?"

To be bluntly honest, Larissa loves Haru's bewildered demeanor. It actually makes for some early morning humor. Nonetheless she answers the boy's question.

"My name's Hana. And you?"

"Haru," he says simply. "I live in a village close to here."

"Oh," she replies. "That would explain some things. I didn't think that there would be any random teenagers traveling alone."

Haru raises a brow at that statement. "Wait? Does this mean you _aren't_ traveling alone?"

"No. I've been traveling with the Avatar and a brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe. We've been together for a couple weeks now."

His eyes widen. "You're traveling with the Avatar?"

"Yes," she says. "He and the others are back at the campsite right now."

Haru nods stiffly. "Then why aren't you there with them?"

"It's like I said. They were all asleep and I wanted to take a morning walk. They're probably awake now, though. Do you want to come meet them?"

* * *

Katara rolls up her sleeping bag as Aang and Sokka sit side-by-side on Appa's tail. Aang plays with Momo as Sokka eats some of the last leeche nuts from the bottom of their bag. The lemur being hungry himself, he reaches into the bag and steals one. Sokka doesn't notice this at all. For the past ten minutes his mind has only been on one thing.

"Seriously, it's been over an hour. Why isn't Hana back yet?"

Her sleeping bag being neatly folded, Katara stands all the way up. "It's okay, Sokka. I'm sure she'll be back soon," she tells the boy.

"Yeah," the monk says in agreement. "Hana's always been an early riser. Maybe she just wanted to take a walk or collect some berries."

The braided girl chips in her opinion once more. "True. After all, her bag is missing too."

"It doesn't matter," Sokka states irritably. "The point is that she shouldn't be wandering around in the woods alone. She's one of the last airbenders and she's traveling with the Avatar. If Hana gets discovered by the Fire Nation they could capture her and drag her away in chains."

Katara rolls her eyes as she walks over to stow her sleeping bag in the sky bison's saddle. "Sokka, relax. Hana's been training really hard these past few days and she's probably worn out. If anything, she's just taking an extra long walk this morning to relax and help calm her nerves. In fact, maybe you should go with her next time. You could use to calm down a little yourself."

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm just saying that next time she plans on taking a ten hour walk somebody needs to go with her. Who knows how many Fire Nation soldiers could be around here! If not them, then she might run into some other weirdo."

Katara sighs. "Sokka, will you quit your worrying? Hana is not going to get caught by the Fire Nation, and she isn't going to meet any strangers!"

Before Sokka can work on a hasty reply a rustling sound comes from the forest behind his sister. Looking in the said direction, each of them sees as their familiar light-haired friend emerges from the brush. Next to her, however, is something much unexpected; a handsome young man with long brown hair dressed in Earth Kingdom attire. Upon seeing the group, a small frown graces his lips. Not noting this, Hana grabs him by the arm and drags him into the campsite.

"Hi guys!" Hana exclaims. "Guess what? I was out on my walk this morning and I met someone."

Sokka shoots Katara a look, to which Katara responds with an awkward rubbing of her neck and a nervous chuckle. Not noticing the exchange between the two siblings, Aang airbends himself off of Appa and goes to meet the stranger.

* * *

After staying at the camp and talking for a little under an hour, Haru decided to bring them back to his village. With the Fire Nation running things for the past five years and with his father off in a Fire Nation prison somewhere, seeing Avatar Aang and his friends could help lift his mother's spirits. Hearing him say this made all of them want to journey to his village immediately; even Sokka, who'd given Larissa a long lecture on being cautious when talking to strangers and on safety in numbers. To Larissa's dismay, the lecture has not yet ended.

"…Haru is only like fifteen so I can see why you didn't think he was dangerous, but still. Next time you want to go out into the woods take someone with you. You never know when there might be Fire Nation lurking around. Furthermore…"

Larissa rolls her eyes. Ever since unlocking her airbending, the Water Tribe boy has been extremely paranoid. Perhaps traveling with the Avatar and a type of bender that's supposed to be extinct is too much for him.

Trying to make light of Sokka's over protectiveness, Larissa teases. "Okay, Sokka. Fine. I promise next time I want to venture out into the woods I'll use the buddy system. If I don't I'll be within shouting distance. Fair enough, or do you want to drop everything to be my personal body guard?"

"Hey, don't mock me. Later Aang and Katara are getting the same talk."

Larissa can't stop her smirk. Gosh. Sokka has turned so paranoid it's comical! Glancing up ahead, the girl realizes that they've fallen behind. Not wanting to get lost in the small village's mid-morning crowd, the duo jogs to catch up.

"You should like my mother," says Haru. "She isn't exactly the jolly happy type, but she's still nice."

They continue on walking through the village streets until they come to the door of a small shop. Haru motions for them to follow him inside as he opens the door partway. The children follow without hesitation. Once inside they discover that the room is a long narrow empty one with a few objects arranged delicately. At the center of the barren space is an older woman busily sweeping. Hearing as numerous footsteps cross the floor, she looks up and spots the small crowd several feet behind her son. Confusion furrowing her brow, she turns to the young earthbender.

"Well, it looks like _you've_ been busy this morning," the gray-haired woman states.

Beaming, Haru jumps into an explanation at the unfamiliar people in their store. "Mom, you won't believe this. Earlier today I was in the woods doing…stuff…and I met these people. You won't believe who they are!"

The lady puts her sweeping on pause as she eyes them all curiously. "I won't unless you tell me."

Haru, speaking more evenly than before, jumps into their identities without hesitation. "Mom, this is Avatar Aang and his friends Sokka, Hana, and Katara. They've been passing through the woods on their way to the North Pole to find Aang a waterbending teacher."

The wooden broom clatters to the floor. Taking a few steps over to the bald monk, she observes him carefully. "As impossible as it sounds you may be right, Haru. He certainly has the tattoos of an airbender…"

"That's because he is an airbender! It's like everybody's been saying; the Avatar has returned!"

Aang steps forward to better explain himself, his usual jovial demeanor completely intact. "It's true. I really am the Avatar. See!"

Without warning Aang moves his hands to form an air ball causing the woman to gasp. A couple seconds pass and Haru's mother smiles.

"Well, Haru, I must give you credit for this one. As a little boy you would drag home strange creatures of all sorts; once you even brought home a baby boar-q-pine. But this, this tops that by a mile! The Avatar is in my shop." Another second passes as panic fills her gaze. "Oh no. The Avatar is in my shop!"

Jumping into hyper drive, the woman leaps over to the door and slams it shut followed by the shutters.

"For the love of Ozai, Haru, what would posses you to bring the Avatar to this village? Fire Nation soldiers are everywhere!"

Haru give an innocent shrug. "Hey, I thought it would be better than leaving them to waltz in here on their own. This way I was able to warn them in advance that Aang had to conceal his identity. With their supplies running low they would've had to come through here either way."

"It's true," says Katara. "By telling us about the village ahead of time he could've saved us some real trouble."

Still standing in front of the shutters she looks from the Avatar and his friends back to Haru. "Alright. I suppose this is a good thing. Even so, I don't recommend that you stay here long. If the Fire Nation discovers that the Avatar's here it could possibly be dangerous."

"It's okay," says Sokka. "We're just passing through and Haru wanted us to meet you before we left."

The green-clad lady smiles. "Well that's very sweet of my son. And I'm sorry for my manners. It's wonderful to meet you all. You're welcome to stay here for the afternoon and overnight so that you can rest and restock on your supplies. Any longer than that, though, and you might not be safe."

Aang gives a polite bow. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Anything for the Avatar." That being said the lady resumes her sweeping. "Well, Avatar or no Avatar there's still work to be done. Haru, show Avatar Aang and his friends to the barn where they can spend the night and then show them to the market so they can buy food for their journey."

Haru gives a quick nod. "Yes, mom."

With nothing else left to say, the earthbender ushers them out the door just that fast.

* * *

Several Hours Later

Katara is currently at the shop having some sort of woman-to-woman conversation with Haru's mother. A while ago when they were shopping Sokka ran into this guy selling decorative weapons. (This also includes boomerangs). Unsurprisingly, they haven't seen him since. As for Aang, Larissa is fairly certain that she saw him talking with some salesman selling bison whistles. Also unsurprisingly, they haven't seen Aang since his specialty shop visit either. Therefore, this leaves Haru and Larissa completely alone. All of the Avatar's supplies are bought and all of Haru's chores are done, leaving them the rest of the afternoon to do whatever it is they want. Neither of them feel like spending their day alone, thus creating a perfect recipe for Larissa getting a chance to hang out with Haru. Secretly, she doesn't mind this at all.

The two fifteen-year-olds make their way through the forest side-by-side. There are no paths and no set boundaries, allowing them to walk freely wherever they choose. If there's one thing that Larissa likes about this dimension it's that there are no trails through the forests and no park rangers yelling at people for straying from them. In a way, the people here don't realize how lucky they really have it. Walking perfectly astride, Larissa gazes at Haru from the corner of her eye. The more she observes him the more she truly realizes exactly how much the show didn't do him justice. After all, she'd never felt the need to run her fingers through his hair when watching the TV show.

"So you're an airbender?"

Haru's voice knocks Larissa's head right out of the gutter it was getting ready to fall into. Having heard his question, the blonde girl works up a response.

"Yes," she replies. "I'm not sure how, but I'm an airbender."

"Wow. That's different. Having Aang as an airbender is one thing, but a completely average girl? It's unthinkable."

"I know. When I found out I was airbender I almost had a complete meltdown!"

Pausing in his steps, Haru looks at her with deep emerald eyes. "Really? How old were you when you found out?"

Larissa chuckles awkwardly, face turning scarlet. "Fifteen…"

Haru arches a brow. "What?"

"I actually didn't know about my bending until a few days ago. It was the King of Omashu, King Bumi, who revealed it to me. If it wasn't for him I still might not know."

Chuckling, the earthbender puts a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Hana. The airbenders are supposed to be nonexistent so it's perfectly normal for you to not know about your bending."

"Good. I'm glad you think so."

It takes a moment, but the two continue on walking once more.

Sighing Haru says to her, "At least you haven't been forced to hide your bending all this time. There's nothing worse than having to run off, practice in secret, and then return home with the pretense of being a nonbender. Whether it's for your own personal safety or not, it gets pretty exhausting after a while."

"I bet it does," Larissa replies honestly. "Being an airbender, I'll probably have to end up doing the same thing pretty soon otherwise I'll get burned alive by an army of firebenders."

"Or arrested and thrown into prison…" Haru says, dread filling his features.

Her heart swells at the confession. "Is that why you can't bend publicly?" she asks him.

"Yes," states Haru. "And it's also why you haven't gotten to meet my father or any of the other earthbenders."

"I'm sorry, Haru."

The boy shrugs. "Don't be. What's done is done. At least I'm not in prison with the rest of them. And at least I got to meet an airbender."

The two pause in their steps again as they stare at each other with keen interest. A moment or two passes them by before they avert their gazes. Larissa can almost swear that she saw Haru's cheeks redden, flattering her.

"You know," says Haru at last, "we're out here in the middle of the woods with nobody around. Want to practice our bending now?"

* * *

That weapon's vendor was a nice guy with some awesome blacksmithing skills. Sokka had never seen a more high-quality boomerang in all his life. Or at least not one other than his own, that is. If he'd wanted to he could've spent all day in that guy's shop until his large meaty sons had to drag him out. Right when he walked in Sokka was actually partially certain that it might come to that. However, when he peeked out the store window to see Hana and Haru walking together toward the woods, all of the afternoon's plans kind of disappeared. This is especially true after the actions of the store owner. Wondering what Sokka was glaring at, the older pot-bellied man came over and clapped him on the shoulder. Once he'd seen the full extent of the view he'd laughed.

"Well, well, looks like Haru's finally getting lucky," he'd said. "She's a pretty one, too. She ought to give him a first kiss to remember."

Peevishly, Sokka left the shop and stomped outside. "Gah! When I said that she had to take someone with her into the woods that is _not_ what I meant!"

Now, for the past ninety years it seems like, Sokka has been trailing them at a distance. In reality it's only been about an hour, forty-five minutes, and twenty-seven seconds, but who's counting? Now, from high up in a tree, the blue-clad Water Tribe boy watches them. Luckily they haven't done anything too romantic or Haru would need a doctor. Whether it is Hana or Katara, he'd need a doctor either way. So far, however, nothing. All they've been doing is walking, talking, and practicing their bending. Sokka hates to admit this on any level, but Haru's actually a pretty good earthbender. As for Hana, she's getting pretty decent at airbending too. The impressive part is that it's only been three days.

_'__Wow,'_ Sokka says to himself. _'Aang's a better teacher than I thought.'_

Gazing down into a large rocky valley with a small river running through it, he watches as Hana concentrates her air blasts on the bite-sized pebbles Haru tosses her way. Occasionally she'll also use air balls to weaken Haru's stance. While the pale-faced girl still needs a lot of works she's come quite a ways from where she was. It's hard for Sokka to explain even to himself, but it's like her blasts are more focused, more calculated, and more intentional in general. Later he needs to give Hana a friendly handshake and Aang a pat on the back. If he's capable of teaching someone this much in only three days then certainly the young Avatar can master all four elements.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Hana. You're actually pretty good," says Haru.

Hearing the start of the conversation, Sokka quiets his thoughts in order to listen.

"Thanks," she replies with a smile. "You are too. You're _really_ good, actually."

He gives a friendly chuckle. "Oh, believe me. I'm nothing compared to my dad." The earthbender pauses before asking, "So is Aang going to keep working with you?"

The two walk closer to one another before taking a seat on a large boulder. They're sitting a little too close for Sokka's comfort, but he decides to ignore it. Facing one another directly, Hana replies to the question.

"Of course he is. He wouldn't quit teaching me even if I begged him. I feel kind of bad, though, with Aang having to master all four elements. Teaching me airbending will probably eat into his time."

Haru gives Hana a pat on the back. A _long_ pat on the back, Sokka observes. "Don't feel that way, Hana. With you being the only other airbender on Earth I'm sure that you're not a burden. He probably likes having someone to bend with; I know I do."

There is a short moment of silence as Hana eyes the boy curiously. Eventually she asks, "Haru, if you know that you could get in trouble for earthbending, then why do you do it?"

Haru smiles at that question. "That's easy. Why do you practice your airbending?"

She responds instantly. "Because I'm one of the last airbenders in existence. I feel like it's my duty to learn the techniques, learn about the air nomads, and to master the art."

"There you go, then. It's the same for me. Being an earthbender is in my blood. Practicing my bending almost feels like something I have to do because I was born to do it. Then again, I like earthbending too. It's fun."

Hana returns his smile. "It certainly looks fun. Airbending is fun too, but it will be more fun once Aang teaches me how to use my glider."

Haru nods before changing the subject to one that he's been questioning all day. "You know, part of me is surprised that you're an airbender. Even if the air nomads were still around, I would have expected you to be a waterbender because of your eyes. If not a waterbender then at least an earthbender."

Reaching up, Hana strokes the back of her hair with a chuckle. "I know where you're coming from. The airbenders always had black hair and gray-colored eyes it seems like. I defiantly don't look like that. Then again, I'm not sure that I look like anyone else I've ever seen."

Haru takes this as an invitation to get closer. Putting his hand out slightly, it's obvious that he wants to touch the girl's hair. Seeing this, Hana leans over slightly and lets him stroke it before holding one of the ringlets in the palm of his hand.

"To be honest I like your hair. It's different. It kind of reminds me of wheat."

Pointing her head down, Hana starts to blush. "Thank you."

Releasing the strand, he takes that same hand and uses it to tilt her chin upward so that she's facing him. Using the pad of his thumb, he traces her cheek.

"I like your skin, too. Other people with skin as pale as yours would look sickly. On you, however, it looks very pretty; almost exotic."

Neither of them says anything after that. All they do is sit there looking at each other. Haru's hand doesn't leave her chin for a very long time. When it does it goes back around to her hair to gently stroke it. It takes every fiber of Sokka's being to keep himself from jumping out of that tree and wrestling Haru to the ground. A few seconds later Hana reaches out her own tiny hand to touch Haru's cheek, causing the boy to blush. Not even a millisecond later both children move their faces closer together, a single goal in mind. Sokka, feeling enraged, is about to leap out of the tree and beat the flirtatious man with the lady-hair to a pulp. Once Sokka's done with him he won't be able to tell which way is up and which way's down. Unfortunately for him, however, he doesn't get the chance.

"It's them! They're the earthbenders!" a loud male voice proclaims.

Startled, they jump to their feet and look in the direction of the woods. No more than ten feet away, they see an older man with balding gray hair. With him are six Fire Nation soldiers closing in. If he could, Sokka would leap down and fight them all off. However, it's too late. Ten seconds is all it takes for the soldiers to surround them, bind their hands, and to drag them away. The only soldier that doesn't follow is the one who hands the man a small burlap sack.

"Here's your gold. Thank you for your services."

A minute or so later they all disperse. Once they do, Sokka jumps down from his hiding place and rushes back to the village as fast as he can.

* * *

It's mid evening as Katara lays her sleeping bag across a pile of hay. Further off to her left is Aang, making himself comfortable on Appa's back. Normally she would stay up for a while longer, but this is found to be quite impossible considering that Sokka wants to leave at dawn. Speaking of Sokka, he chooses that exact moment to burst through the barn doors with a loud clattering. The instant he does this the peaceful silence the Water Tribe girl had been soaking in ends instantly.

"Hana and Haru go arrested! This old man turned them into the Fire Nation! We've gotta do something now!"

Katara already sensing the extremeness of the situation does her best to calm her elder brother. "Sokka, calm down. Tell us everything that happened."

Taking a deep breath, he steps inside and closes the doors. "Okay, earlier Hana and Haru were out in the woods practicing their bending. Later on this old man showed up out of nowhere. He took advantage of them being alone and turned them _both_ in as earthbenders. Now they're being led away in chains somewhere."

"Wait. That doesn't make any sense," says Aang. "Hana can't even earthbend!"

"Don't you think that occurred to me? Look, the point is they've been captured by the Fire Nation and we need to rescue them. If not Haru, at least Hana. We can't leave one of the world's last airbenders in the hands of those fire savages!"

"You're right, Sokka," Katara agrees. "But how can we rescue them? We don't even know where they're taking them."

"Well, we're going to find out," says the man with the ponytail. "On the way here I thought of a plan."

"Really? That's great, Sokka!" The Avatar exclaims. "What is it?"

"I have to get arrested for earthbending."

* * *

The Next Day

Last night Larissa had to sleep in a cold little cell huddled up next to Haru. Considering their situation, nothing was romantic about it like it might have been otherwise. Then this morning each of them was given a bowl of sloppy, watery, rice before being put onto a small boat and taken to a dock. Now the tiny vessel is unloading, several gigantic metal ships off in the distance. The whole time Haru has been right at her side.

"I'm sorry I got you into this, Hana," he whispers.

"Don't worry about it, Haru," she tells him. "What happens to me isn't your fault."

The Fire Nation soldiers line them and several other prisoners up on the dock. In almost no time at all the prison warden is outside addressing them. Though his speech is different, Larissa can clearly see that this is the same sneering man from the show.

"…For your information, I will not stand for any type of mutiny or rebellion on my ship. For those of you who think that you can turn the other prisoners against me and escape without your earthbending, let me tell you that you're wrong. The rig is made entirely of metal. Without your bending, it is inescapable." His eyes suddenly glued to Larissa and Haru, he steps much closer. "With that being said I ask you all to heed my warning. Once attempt at rebellion and I will be _sure_ to extinguish it. Good day."

The warden strides away in the opposite direction, leaving the soldiers to guide them up the ramp and onto the ship. There's no grand tour, no guidelines for how the day is supposed to be spent, nothing. They're simply taken through a series of corridors until coming to a large, yard-type space on the deck where they're dropped.

"You still shouldn't have to be here," Haru says once the soldiers leave. "You aren't even an earthbender. Everything would be better if you were back in the village."

"Yeah, better for me," she replies stubbornly. "At least this way you have a friend. Not to mention a chance at getting rescued. When Katara, Aang, and Sokka realize I'm gone they'll find out that something happened and come looking. I'm sure of it."

Haru smirks. Larissa tries not to notice, but his smirk is adorable. "Well, I see that this situation hasn't killed your optimism."

"No," she smirks back. "It hasn't."

The two look at each other grinning despite the situation. Then, an instant later, a gruff sounding male is heard calling to the boy next to her.

"Haru? Is that you?"

Startled, they both turn in the voice's direction. It's only then that Larissa remembers.

* * *

"That lemur! He's earthbending!"

Sokka smacks a palm against his forehead in aggravation. It's only hard getting arrested when you're trying to get arrested. His baby sister, too, looks annoyed. To his surprise, Katara snaps at the large Fire Nation soldier.

"What? No he's not! It's the boy with the stupid ponytail!"

Flustered, the soldiers stare. "Oh. Right. Men, arrest him!"

Before they get to him, Katara whispers in his ear. "You have twelve hours to find Hana and Haru. We'll be right behind you. Good luck, Sokka."

Sokka gives a stiff nod. Three seconds later he's being thrown into chains. At last his plain is starting to come together.

* * *

"So you're Haru's father?" Larissa asks.

The older man with the gray beard gives a nod. "My names' Tyro. It's nice to meet you, Hana."

"It's nice to meet you too, sir. Haru has told me a lot about you."

He gives a small grin. "Well, I'm glad. It's good to know that time hasn't blurred my son's memory of me."

Hearing this, Haru steps closer to his father. "Of course it hasn't, dad. I could never forget."

Haru and the gray-haired man embrace each other in a father-son man hug. Once the embrace ends, Tyro looks to both children.

"Let me show you around. Things will go much smoother if you have an idea of the rig's layout."

Larissa and Haru follow the man through thick webs of corridors without hesitation. Within the tangle are sleeping rooms, latrines, storage rooms, and a place for eating other than the deck. Despite the fact that she knows Katara will be coming for them soon, Larissa does her best to encode it all into her memory banks. Eventually once the tour is over they make their way back through the labyrinth, Tyro leading the way.

"So," says Tyro to Haru, "you and Hana were arrested together?"

"Yes, that's right," his son replies easily.

"How did that happen?"

"Well," says Haru, "We were talking and practicing our bending in the woods when someone caught us. In almost no time at all we were captured and taken here by Fire Nation soldiers. There's not too much more to it than that."

Tyro nods. "Is Hana your sweetheart?"

Haru's face turns crimson. "What? No! All we were doing in the woods was bending and talking and nothing else!"

"I second that!" Larissa defends. "There's nothing wrong with talking to a friend in the forest!"

The earthbending man chuckles knowingly. "You can't trick an old man. I was your age once. Trust me. I know these things."

Their blushes deepen, increasing Tyro's amusement. Smirking, he says, "Well, enough of that. Come on and let me introduce you to some of the other prisoners."

* * *

Five Hours Later

The process has been long and grueling, but Sokka has made it onto the rig at last. The more he sees of it the more he realizes its good he got here when he did. Leaving a nonbender in the hands of the warden is one thing, but a young airbending girl is another thing entirely. Why nobody has attempted escape from this horrible place is beyond him. Stepping from the corridor to the main deck, Sokka takes everything in. Every person in sight young and old, (mostly old), wears the same brown burlap clothing as him. While the deck is crowded it isn't overly crowded. Because of this spotting Hana and Haru shouldn't be nearly as hard as it could be. Feeling hopeful, Sokka begins working his way through the throng of earthbenders. A minute or so later he spots a light-colored head sticking out as vastly as Fire Nation red in a sea of blue. Relieved by the sight, he rushes up to her.

"Hana!" the Water Tribe boy calls out.

Stunned by the sound of her name, the girl turns. The moment she sets eyes on the tall lanky male Hana's whole demeanor brightens.

"Sokka!"

The blue-eyed female rushes up to him and engulfs him in a grateful hug of disbelief. Taken aback by the abrupt action, Sokka pats her on the back before returning her embrace.

"You didn't think I'd just leave a member of the group behind, did you?" he asks with a smile.

"No. Of course not. It's just that…I was expecting some fangled prison break scheme. I didn't think you'd get yourself arrested!"

Sokka's grin widens. "Hey, if I wanted to bust out you and Haru I had to find you first."

"Well, Sokka, I must say you're full of surprises. Haru will be so happy to see you."

Taking a look around, something suddenly occurs to him. "Where is Haru, anyway?"

Hana gives a small smile. "Let me show you."

Grabbing Sokka by the hand, Hana pulls him around the small gatherings until reaching a group of five sitting in a circle. Among the group sitting cross-legged is the earthbender with the long hair. Next to him, Sokka notes, is a large man with a short gray beard.

"Haru," Hana declares joyfully, "look who I found."

Haru looks up from his spot on the ground. The moment he does shock is apparent in his features. "Sokka? What are you doing here?!"

The older boy gives a satisfied shrug. "Rescuing you. What else?"

Haru gives a chuckle. "Wow, Hana. When you said one of your friends would most likely come for us you weren't lying!"

"See. Didn't I tell you?"

The Water Tribe boy raises a brow. "Wait? You knew one of us was coming?"

"Of course," says Hana. "You're my friends. If you, Aang, or Katara was in my place I would do no less."

The sixteen-year-old can't help but feel happy at that. Despite the fact that she'd wondered off into the woods and almost kissed this pretty-boy man-wh—…eh…earthbender…she still cares about the rest of them more.

Smile never leaving, Sokka gives a nod. "Thanks, Hana. I'm glad to hear it."

Having found the two people he'd wanted to find the most, the tribal boy lets his surroundings soak in. This is the first time he's noticed it, but it's as if the life has been sucked from all the prisoners, casting them in a single dark shadow. Surrounding the perimeter are guards either wearing blank expressions or scoffing smirks. Those that smirk shout out occasional harassing lines, those on the receiving end giving no reaction. A pang of sympathy goes out to them before he turns back to Hana and Haru.

"Sokka," says Haru, "since you're here, I'd like you to meet my father, Tyro."

Sokka watches the bearded man as he gets to his feet, suddenly knowing his identity.

"It's nice to meet you, Sokka. I feel very privileged. It isn't too often a person gets to meet two friends of the Avatar in one day." Tyro pauses before adding, "Then again, it's not too often two teenagers that can't earthbend end up in this prison either."

"I know. These people really need to work on checking their facts." A moment or two passes before Sokka asks, "You know, Tyro, this doesn't exactly look like a good place to be. With all of you being earthbenders the Earth Kingdom needs you. Why haven't you tried to escape?"

Tyro shakes his head. "The warden is a ruthless man. He won't stand for any rebellion. The most we can do is wait out the war and hope to someday return home."

One thing that can't be missed is how distraught Hana's features seem at his words. "How can you say that?!" The girl exclaims. "Staying trapped here forever? What kind of a life is that?"

"It's no kind of life, but there's nothing we can do about it besides survive. Even if we did attempt escape it would be impossible."

Her troubled appearance turns to stubbornness. "That's a lie. There's always something you can do."

Tyro shakes his head. "Not always."

Based on the scene around them, the man appears to be completely right. With so many firebenders and no earth for them to fight with escape does seem quite unattainable. Rather than getting involved in a hopeless battle it'd be easer just to take Hana, Haru, and Tyro and flee. Yet, at the same time, Sokka can't get over how cowardly that sounds. Especially when looking at all of the down-trodden people around him, it doesn't seem right.

"I don't know," Sokka says. "Hana could be right. All four of us together, I'm pretty sure we could come up with something."

Sokka sees as Haru's expression turns hopeful. "They're right, dad. We don't have to stay here; none of us do. We can think of a plan."

Tyro sighs. "Listen to me, all of you. I like your spirit and I envy your youth, but nothing can be done. Stop this kind of talk right now or we'll all be in trouble."

Each of their faces darkens in disappointment, signaling that they reluctantly agree. For the moment, anyway.

* * *

Larissa doesn't want to leave here without helping the prisoners. Every hopeless face; every sad thought hidden behind emotionless eyes; every miserable being clothed in brown burlap. Things can't possibly stay like this. Sure she and Haru will soon be out of here accompanied by Sokka, but what about the rest of them? Sure she isn't good at making clever inspirational speeches like Katara, but she still wants to help.

To be honest, it still surprises her that it was Sokka rather than Katara who came to their rescue. She would have staked her airbending on it that it would be her braided friend. Then again, life is full of surprises. Of course, so long as Sokka wants to help the earthbenders too Larissa supposes that it doesn't matter. Whether it is Sokka or Katara, Aang or Momo, they still all managed to end up in the same place.

"Sokka," says Aang, "you can't be serious!"

The four of them duck as a beam of light passes in their direction. Once it's gone Larissa breaths an internal sigh of relief, happy to have the darkness as their cover once more.

"I am," Sokka replies in a whisper. "You haven't seen them, Aang. The sight is pitiful. We have to do something."

"Wow, Sokka. This isn't like you at all," Katara points out. "Since when do you care enough to jeopardize the safety of the group to help people?"

"Hey, don't judge me. If we help these people we're not just helping them. We're helping their villages and their families."

Understanding completely, Larissa speaks in Sokka's favor. "Come on, guys. Give it a chance. These people need help, and who better to help than the Avatar?"

Aang tilts his head in a considering fashion. "True. I say we give this a shot. What do you think, Katara?"

The waterbender sighs. "Seeing as it's three against one, I guess I'm outnumbered. Let's try it."

Happy, Sokka gives a beaming smile. "Thanks, Katara! And don't worry. I already have a plan all laid out."

* * *

Larissa grasps her staff tightly as she sprints through the dark, barren, corridors. It's her job to help Aang get the coal to the main deck. Seeing as neither of them want to get caught, they've decided to take different routes to the room with the coal. Before going, however, Aang gave her a forty-five minute briefing on how to use her staff as a weapon and as a glider. While she isn't exactly a genius, at least she knows the basic skills of self-defense and of escape. Washed in the early morning darkness the metal pathways are covered in shadows, reminding her that something could be creeping just beyond her senses. The airbending girl releases an involuntary shudder at the thought.

"It's okay, Hana," she whispers aloud. "Just keep going. You're already halfway there."

Moving faster than before Larissa dashes around the corner. Unfortunately, to her dismay, she collides directly into someone; someone who's tall and has a rock-hard chest. So unexpected was this collision that she falls to the floor.

"Hello, Hana. It's been a while."

Terrified, Larissa freezes at the voice. No. Not right now. It isn't possible. Peeking up, she discovers that somehow it is possible. Despite the fact that he isn't supposed to be here for a long while yet, she finds herself looking directly into the calculating golden gaze of the Fire Prince. Zuko stares at her for a moment, unmoving. Although she probably could, Larissa doesn't move either. A moment or so later Zuko pulls out a set of dual swords, doing his best to pin Larissa to the ground.

"I don't know if you recall this or not, but we have some unfinished business."

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, that's the end for now. Again, I'm very unsure about this chapter. Really, I just don't like the episode "Imprisoned" in general. I wish that I could've just skipped it, but I couldn't. This chapter was needed for some very necessary foreshadowing. So, anyway, that was the chapter. Please tell me what you think. Was it okay?**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Hola, mis amigos! I know that this is a really early update, but I can't help myself. I'm so excited for this chapter as well as the next. Things are finally starting to unfold! Gah, I'm so excited! Not just about this story, but about life. I managed to pass the road test and I am now a licensed driver in the state of Michigan. Not only that, but I have some baby sitting jobs and am finally going to start earning some of my own money. I'm so happy! Most of this happiness, of course, comes from my excitement about posting this chapter. Enjoy! I hope you love this chapter as much as I do! This episode is Winter Solstice part one. Wow, this author's note is really long... :P**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, but I wish I did. If I did they would still be showing replays of ATLA and of Korra on Nickelodeon. _

* * *

Chapter Eight 

_Mom, _

_Sometimes there are so many thoughts whirring through my mind at once that they're too jumbled for me to put down on paper. Even if I could, it would take me all night and the rest of these journal pages to do it. So instead, I'm going to write down a list of words. To describe everything the best I can. Don't ask. Don't question me. Please. Just look and see: …_

Larissa looks up at the night sky from their place on Appa's back. They've been flying for two hours now. Katara is asleep. Sokka is asleep. Aang is…well…almost asleep. With the others slumbering away under the illumination of the full moon it makes for the perfect time to write. Suddenly, staring up at the moon's reflective light, a word comes to her and she writes it down.

_Glint_

The glint of Zuko's dual swords as they fly through the air due to a single powerful air blast. Using the air currents around her, Larissa had managed to do a back flip while pulling out her staff, getting miraculously to her feet. There was also the glint of wild satisfaction in the prince's golden gaze.

"So it's true," he'd said. "You have come close to mastering airbending."

_Sharp_

The sharpness of her words as she'd retaliated against Prince Zuko, doing her best to defend.

"Yes. And I know how to use my abilities. Aang has taught me well."

Zuko stared her down with sharpness of gaze.

"How well? You still don't seem _that_ incredibly skilled."

Staff pointed in his direction, she'd replied with, "However new, I can still defend myself. Last time I went with you because the safety of others was at stake, but not this time."

"Fine," he'd said. "Then I guess you leave me no choice."

Retrieving his swords with excellent skill, they'd stared each other down before starting battle. Zuko's broadswords just barely missing with his first swipe, she could almost feel their sharp edges.

_Interrogate_

When there are so many questions spinning through the minds of two people that they can't help but try their luck.

"What do you want me for anyway? Wouldn't you rather be off capturing Aang so that you can gift-wrap his staff and send it to your father?"

Locking eyes with her he'd replied, "The Avatar is still a prime concern of mine. It's just that, now, so are you."

"Why? I'm nothing. What is there that you see?"

He'd taken another swipe at her, to which she'd responded by jumping back several feet.

"You don't look like any other person I've ever seen. You don't _act _like any other person I've ever seen. You're a decent liar, but not that decent because I can tell you've lied to everyone. The orphanage was nothing but an elaborate cover-up wasn't it?"

_Agony_

The pain a person feels when their whole world could come crashing down around them. This is the same detrimental sensation that comes when one lack the skills to defend themselves against a truthful accusation.

"My words are true. I can tell by your face, _airbender_."

"You don't know that," Larissa had said at last. "All you know is what you assume to be true."

Catching her off guard, Zuko had dropped his weapons and pinned her against the wall. "Who are you, Hana? Who are you really?"

_Fear_

This cold-blooded emotion is what caused her to spring into action. Inhaling deeply, Larissa had blown out a torrent of air causing him to smack up against one of the hard metal walls. The blonde girl had used her staff to perform an air swipe also, disorienting him for a moment more. Turning her weapon from a staff to a glider, Larissa managed to shift the air currents and fly out of there.

_Confusion_

At that moment Zuko had shouted out a very odd remark. After that remark he hadn't pursued her. He'd simply left.

"My uncle knows you. He told me that there's a strong spiritual energy twisted up inside you. Airbender or not, there's a great power welling up inside your soul and I _will_ find out what it is."

_I'm sorry, mom, but those are the only words I can leave you with. The only thing I can tell you besides those six words is that the young man that brought those words out of me is very strange. When I flew away on my glider I had been expecting pursuit. You all probably already know this, but Zuko is his name. When he didn't try to chase me, capture Aang, and take down the earthbenders single-handedly it was…bewildering. It was like his only goal was to show up, scare me, get me questioning, and then he was gone. One day, many months from now when he joins Team Avatar, I'll have to ask him about that… As for Haru and the earthbenders it all went off without a hitch. In fact, they're on their way to take back their villages right now. I should know, considering that we split from them just a few hours ago. My only regret is that I didn't get the kiss I was hoping for. It's too bad. It would've been my first. Well, goodbye for now, mom. Tell Sarah, Amy, and Darcy that they're in my thoughts and I love them always._

_Your daughter,_

_Larissa _

* * *

Larissa and Katara walk along the river's edge, stooped in conversation. This morning rather than writing in her journal Larissa decided to go on an actual walk. With Sokka and Aang back at the campsite it's just her and her braided friend balancing along the pond's edge. It's here in the mid-morning light that the pale-skinned girl told her everything. With all of the excitement yesterday, there wasn't too much time to explain. Oh well. At least Larissa can be glad that it's out now.

"I don't understand," says Katara. "Why would Zuko just show up, threaten you, and leave?"

"I don't know, but I do know that he was there. I saw him with my own eyes and felt his broadswords with my own skin. Not to mention his hands when he held me against the wall. Zuko was there, Katara," the girl insists.

Katara looks at her close friend with honest blue eyes. "I know what you're telling me is true, Hana. I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense." She pauses before adding, "Then again, firebenders don't make sense in general."

Larissa laughs. "Yeah, I can't disagree with that."

Katara stoops over to grab a small stone. Tossing it across the water, she skips it five times before it sinks to the bottom. "I also don't understand why Zuko would accuse you of lying. What reason would you have to lie to us about your past?"

Heart pounding, she responds as naturally as she can. "I have no reason to at all, really. And if I did ever lie to you I would never do it without a super good reason."

Katara nods. "I know what you mean. My mother never lied to Sokka and me, but when she did it was only to help us. 'Go to bed or else the snow fairies will steal your toys in the night.' 'Eat all of your sea prunes or else the monster will come into the tent and take your new boomerang.' That's what you mean, right?"

Larissa shakes her head yes, another topic forming in her mind entirely. "Your mother sounded like she was good parent."

The Water Tribe girl smiles at the memory of it. "She was wonderful, actually. I miss her so much. You don't know what I would trade just to hug her or hear her voice one last time."

_'__Actually, I do…'_ Externally, she says, "At least you have the wonderful memories to cherish. Not to mention, you have a very brave and courageous father. There are some fathers who would rather go chasing their dreams in New York than spend time watching their four beautiful daughters grow up…"

Katara raises a brow. "What? What's New York?"

Larissa panics a moment before waving it off. "Huh? Nothing. Nothing at all. I never said that."

Shrugging, the smile returns to her face. "Oh. Okay then."

At exactly that moment the girls hear as Aang's voice echoes through the trees.

"Katara! Hana! It's time to go!"

Knowing that's their cue, the girls move out from beside the water and go jogging back to their previous campsite.

* * *

The four of them stand squarely in the middle of the charred piece of land. The Fire Nation having burnt it to a crisp, it's apparent that all signs of life are gone from the area. Getting down on one knee, Larissa picks up a handful of the black sooty soil. It really is a sad sight. Giving a deep mournful sigh, she watches as the gentle breeze steals the substance from her fingertips.

"This is so sad," she says aloud. "Why would anyone do this?"

Standing up, Larissa hears as Sokka approaches from behind. "I don't know. Who can understand the Fire Nation? Those evil savages make me sick!"

Several yards away Katara and Aang sit squatted as the waterbender plants an acorn in the palm of his hand. She can be heard murmuring encouraging words to him.

"Oh well. At least Aang is being cheered up anyway," Larissa says as she motions in their direction.

"Yeah," the Water Tribe boy agrees. "If there's one person Katara can cheer up its Aang."

Walking astride, Larissa and Sokka near the two just in time to see an elderly man approaching. Each of them goes on the defensive for a second until realizing he's harmless. Upon reaching them the first person he addresses is Aang.

"When I saw the flying bison I thought it was impossible, but those markings… are you the Avatar child?"

The monk looks to the rest of them for permission before nodding.

Relief crosses the elder's face. "My village desperately needs your help."

* * *

Larissa stands in front of the large picture window cuddled in between Katara and Sokka. Every villager is gathered together in the village gathering place looking on in fear. Standing alone by the village entrance is the Avatar, nervously awaiting the approach of the Hei-Bai spirit. As the sun sinks deeper beneath the horizon Larissa finds herself moving closer to Sokka. The spirit monster isn't here yet, but it will be soon enough.

"Hello? Hei-Bai spirit? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try and help stuff."

She feels as Sokka stiffens beside her. "This isn't right," he says, "Aang shouldn't be doing this alone."

"It's okay, Sokka," his sister tells him. "Aang will figure out the right thing to do."

From their spot in the gathering house they watch as the twelve-year-old wanders the earthen paths aimlessly. Every now and again he calls out to the unseen thing. At this, the oldest adolescent inquires once more.

"I still don't know about this. Can't we help?"

"No," says the old man who'd found them. "This is a job for the Avatar."

Larissa rests an impulsive hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sokka. Aang is the bridge between humans and spirits. If anyone can do this it's him."

Whether those surrounding her believe this or not, Larissa means what she says. Aang doesn't get enough credit. He may be young, but he's still the Avatar. He will figure it out; and she's not just saying this because she and Macy had watched this episode a couple months ago.

At last a loud screeching comes from outside, drawing her full attention back to the monk. Angrily rampaging into the village from the forest is Hei-Bai. Directly in front of him, appearing more like a dot than a person is Aang. He does his best to calm it, but it ends up ignoring the child and tearing past him. Any moment now Larissa is expecting it to veer off to the left and destroy a building with a loud screech. Instead Hei-Bai pauses in order to more carefully scan the area. Bending his head forward the spirit peers inside the windows of buildings curiously. Not spotting anyone, the spirit monster leaps forward and repeats the action.

In confusion, Larissa speaks out. "Uh…is it supposed to be doing that?"

"No," the elderly man replies. "It's never acted in this manner before. I don't know what its doing."

As Hei-Bai continues his search Aang trails him looking just as puzzled as the rest.

"Hei-Bai," the tattooed boy calls, "will you please turn around?"

The black and white spirit ignores him as if he were a gust of wind. Another moment passes as it comes closer to the gathering hall, causing the villagers to move back from the window. This includes Larissa, who is now clinging to Katara and Sokka on either side of her. The next few seconds pass in slow motion as Hei-Bai lowers his head and glares inside. Spotting them, the spirit stands to its' full height and releases a loud deafening shriek. The minute it's over Aang's voice can be heard as he yells angrily.

"I command you to turn around now!"

Larissa holds her breath with the rest of them, half expecting the Avatar to grab its attention. This, however, does not happen. Instead it reaches out an arm and knocks the roof thirty feet away from the structure. As it does so it lets out another deadly wail. Terrorized by panic, the villagers begin to scream and huddle more closely together. Despite the fact that she's terrified beyond measure, Larissa lifts her eyes so that she's looking the creature directly in the face.

Surprisingly, Hei-Bai doesn't look angry. Rather, he stares down at the cluster of mortals with head cocked observantly. Its gaze trails from person to person as if looking for somebody specific. Then, several seconds later, the gigantic creature locks eyes with the pale-faced girl. Once this happens it eyes her from head-to-toe in attempt to study her further. Larissa's heart comes close to pounding out of her chest.

"What's it doing?" she squeaks out.

"I don't know," Sokka whispers in response. "Just stay calm, don't move, and be quiet."

As he says this the Water Tribe boy locks his arms around her waist protectively. Oddly enough, neither of them seems to notice. All they notice is the excessively large spirit monster looking down at them. Then, just as they'd all been bracing for, it shrieks again. Faster than physically possible, the spirit reaches his hand down into the roofless structure. It doesn't look at anyone else nor does it pay attention to the many screaming humans. All of the being's focus is on snatching up the light-haired girl as swiftly as possible.

Going into panic mode, Larissa unleashes a bloodcurdling terror-filled shriek. Looking at them all form above she cries out. "Help! Help me!"

The spirit's cold hand wrapped around her small body, she feels a rush of air as it veers away from the wooden building and toward the village gate. Being tossed into an awkward angle, she is now able to see as Sokka and Katara dash from the roofless structure in order to pursue the monster. Using his glider, Aang too helps chase after his friend.

"Hold on, Hana! I'm coming!" Aang shouts out.

Soaring high in the sky, the Avatar manages to get within two feet of her. Stretching out her arms, Larissa is starting to feel hopeful about breaking free from the beast. However, Hei-Bai takes one of his four arms and swings at the child, knocking him right into one of the buildings. This leaves Sokka and Katara moving as fast as they can, trying to keep up.

The girl sees clearly as Sokka tosses his boomerang at the spirit. Unfortunately, the pony-tailed boy misses. Meanwhile, Katara bends a stream of water out of her pouch in attempt to whip the black and white spirit monster. To their luck she's quite successful at this, as it forces Hei-Bai to pause. A stinging red mark on the monster's rear end, it turns to face the two. His boomerang returning, Sokka tosses it again. This time he strikes it perfectly atop the head. As this happens, Katara strikes it a second time simultaneously.

For a second the creature stares at them, making Larissa think that it will let her go. Maybe Hei-Bai will be merciful. After all, what could she have possibly done to anger it? Then, after this thought, the even more unexpected happens. Screeching loudly, it uses another arm to snatch up Katara before working back into a high-speed run.

"Ahh! Sokka, Aang, help!"

Aang, recovered from the previous blow, is back on his glider and pursuing them once more.

"Aang, get them down now!" Sokka demands hysterically.

By now the spirit has taken the children away from the village and deep into the woods. Aang and Sokka are moving fast, but Hei-Bai is moving faster. So fast does he move that a second or two later the Water Tribe boy and the Avatar vanish from sight. The forest vanishes too, as does the night and everything else.

* * *

Larissa's eyes flutter open as she forces herself to sit up. Her head pounding, she's never felt dizzier. This is almost worse than the time she and Macy had eaten an entire trash bag filled with candy on Halloween six years ago. The moment she's up the awful feeling instantly vanishes.

_"__Okay,"_ Larissa says to herself. _"Almost."_

Coming to her senses, she looks around at her surroundings. All around her are tall trees with spiraling trunks. Their bark is the color of ashy white, a black substance shining like obsidian plastered into the cracks. The trees' leaves, round and the size of disks, are an unimaginably vivid shade of blue-violet. Scattered among the leaves are triangular fruits looking as though they've been crafted from sapphires. Turning her gaze upward, Larissa notices pieces of sky showing among the gaps of the leafy canopy. However, the sky isn't blue. Instead it's a beautiful peachy color, reminding her of fall leaves back home. Deep inside her gut, Larissa can feel that she's no longer in the Southeastern Earth Kingdom. After capturing her and Katara, Hei-Bai undoubtedly sucked them both into the spirit world.

It's that last thought that causes her to freeze. Katara.

Turning hysterical, Larissa calls out the name of her friend. "Katara! Katara, can you hear me?! KATARA!"

A long times passes by without any form of response. Eventually an answer comes. Only, it doesn't come from Katara like she was hoping.

"Don't worry, Larissa. The two of you will be reunited in a while. For now, it's just you and the two of us."

Terrified, Larissa releases a shriek. She does her best to weave in between the trees and run, but instead ends up toppling over and somersaulting backwards. A gentle chortle comes in response to this.

"Calm down, Larissa. You don't have to be scared," says another. "We sent Hei-Bai after you for a reason."

Not feeling calmed by these assurances in the slightest, Larissa looks up to see the faces of her kidnappers. Once she does this, her mouth falls open in shock. Towering over her, gazing down with kind eyes is Avatar Kyoshi. Next to her stands a familiar looking woman dressed in long, elegant, maroon and golden robes. They flow and look to be made of silk, just like her lovely black hair which is held up by various pins and hair combs. Like Avatar Kyoshi, her golden eyes glimmer with the utmost benevolence.

Reaching down, the woman in the face paint helps her to her feet. "Larissa, my name is Avatar Kyoshi. This is my companion and one of my past lives, Avatar Meili. I'm sorry for everything we've put you through, but it's crucial that we speak with you."

It takes a second, but the blonde girl finds her voice at last. "Talk to me?" she asks in bewilderment. "What do you need to talk to me for? And how do you know my name? Everybody else from your world calls me Hana."

"We know that," says Kyoshi. "Then again, we know everything."

The fifteen-year-old arches her brow. "What?"

"It's true," Avatar Meili confirms. "You're not of this world. You come from a place where bending doesn't exist and ended up in our world through the inter-dimensional cross-portal."

Larissa sputters. "I— What…When…Who… _How_ do you know that?!"

The red-clad woman speaks again. "The answer is simple. It was never your friend Macy who sent you here, dear. She was only a tool. The real person who summoned you to this world was Avatar Wan."

Larissa's eyes widen in shock and she takes a few steps back from the duo. Before responding she looks Avatar Meili up and down just to convince herself that the spirit isn't somehow mentally unstable. At last the girl forces herself to speak.

"What are you talking about? It was, too, Macy who sent me. She sent me here with some potion-drugged cookies. Not only that, but she's still communicating with me! How can you possibly say that Macy isn't responsible for this?" A slight pause occurs until asking, "How do you even know who Macy _is_, anyway?"

"It's like we said," Kyoshi replies. "Avatar Wan summoned you here from the world of nonbenders. Shortly after bringing you here he reported to his other incarnations that he'd been watching you for some time. He'd said that he brought you here for a very important purpose that nobody from our world can accomplish."

"We don't know the full details," Meili adds. "The only person who can answer _all_ of your questions is Avatar Wan himself."

Larissa sighs. "If that's the case then can I talk to him? It's not that I don't appreciate getting the chance to meet both of you, it's just that I want some answers."

Avatar Kyoshi nods as well as Avatar Meili.

"We understand," says the more recent Avatar. "If it were possible Avatar Wan would be standing here beside us at this very moment. Only, with the Winter Solstice drawing near, it isn't. Since he was the Avatar that started the cycle his spirit is far too close to the mortal world. Having him come this deeply into the Spirit World is nearly impossible right now."

Hearing this irritates Larissa tremendously. Not to mention, it's quite depressing as well. "Oh," she states flatly.

"No matter," says the black-haired woman. "We may not be able to tell you everything, but there is still some information we can give. In fact, part of the reason we had Hei-Bai bring you to us in the first place is so we can tell you how to contact Avatar Wan's spirit."

Her whole demeanor brightens at this news. "Really?"

This time it is Meili who speaks. "Of course."

Despite the fact that she's completely trapped in the spirit world and is being told that she's been stalked by supposed imaginary characters, Larissa finds herself smiling. "That's great! When can I talk to him?"

"Soon," they reply in unison. "Now come along."

They take several steps forward as they motion for her to follow.

The adolescent raises a brow. "Where are we going?"

Kyoshi turns to face her. "To the spirit waters."

* * *

Larissa has no idea how much time passes. Whether it's five minutes or five weeks, she doesn't know in the slightest. The only thing she's certain of is that she, led by two of Aang's past lives, eventually makes it to a cave. Without warning or explanation they walk inside of it and into the darkness. At the current moment in time her gut is telling her to ditch them, forget everything they've said, and to go find Katara. However, she decides it's best to avoid taking that course of action. With dangerous spirits like Koh the face stealer lurking around it's probably best not to go wandering off somewhere alone. The very thought of Koh sends shivers up her spine, causing her to move closer to the women.

For several, minutes…months…years…who knows, they continue winding their way down the tunnel. There isn't any light, yet Larissa is somehow still able to sense where she's going. It's only a little while later when true light emerges that she no longer has to guess which way's which. Though the light doesn't look like that of sunlight or even moonlight. Instead all that's seen is an ominous blue glow. It's only as they near the cave's very pit that she sees a small pond glimmering with some type of spiritual light. The only thing Larissa can think to compare it to is water being controlled by a healing waterbender. Larissa gazes at the two Avatars as they stand very near the water's edge.

Holding an arm out in her direction, Avatar Kyoshi calls with a gentle smile. "Join us over here, Larissa. This water is for much more than looking pretty."

Hesitantly, the girl saunters over. With Kyoshi and Meili on either side of her they kneel down as much as they can without toppling in head-first.

"Touch it."

A bit surprised by the sudden command, Larissa looks over at avatar Meili. "What?"

"Reach out and touch the water," she clarifies.

She switches her gaze to Avatar Kyoshi who gives a stiff nod. Both Avatars eyes' on her expectantly, Larissa nervously outstretches her hand. Her forefinger just barely skims over the top of the precious liquid. Even so the immensely tiny amount of contact manages to cause something amazing. Out of the calm waters shoots a huge beam of blue, causing Larissa to reel several feet backwards. Inside of the massive ray several pictures can be seen passing by almost like a slideshow.

"I don't understand," says Larissa feeling slight terror. "What is this? Are these supposed to be my memories?"

The two chuckle lightheartedly.

"No," says Kyoshi. "This isn't the Tree of Time, therefore these aren't memories. What you see before you are important events leading up to where you are now and that will eventually result in your destiny."

"Take a look," Meili commands.

Putting an arm up to block the glare from the light, Larissa does just this. To her surprise the first scene is not one from her own life or even from her world. Instead it's of a middle-aged man with cropped brown hair dressed simply in Earth Kingdom attire. He's standing on the deck of a large marvelous ship crafted from wood. With it pouring down rain, the ship looks about ready to capsize. Then, suddenly, his eyes which were previously green start to glow a dark shade of purple. Opening his mouth wide, the man releases a loud scream from which words can be heard.

"_Shuishou_, protector of the great seamen of the past, come forth!"

Only a few seconds after his cry for help a huge monster emerges from the sea. Besides the fact that it's an odd combination of flaming orange and sea-green, it looks like a mishmash of a koi fish and the unagi. When it first appears Larissa is fairly certain that it will destroy all of the people on the ship. However, the creature instead rises up and lets out a howl. As it does this the rain stops and the sky turns blue, enabling the ship to stay afloat. Curious, Larissa is eager to see more of the scene. Unfortunately this is when the scene changes.

Next it shows a young woman with long ebony hair dressed in the clothing of the air nomads. Long bangs hanging almost completely over her eyes, Larissa is unable to tell whether or not she has an arrow. In front of the woman is a building going up in flames. The building being so greatly engulfed, it looks like it won't last another second. Then, like the man from the previous scene, her eyes that used to be gray start to glow purple as she shouts in a loud and booming voice.

"_Haizi_, defender of all children, I plead with you for assistance!"

Out of nowhere a large yellow light bursts from the sky, a pure white spirit coming down in the form of a gigantic dove. Eyes still glowing, the woman leaps on the back of it. While doing this she manages to take a large amount of water out of thin air and land it directly on the burning building. Ten seconds later a group of ten children run out from the charred structure crying tears of relief. It is here that the pattern in the scenes starts.

A moment or two passes and the scenes are no longer scenes. Instead it turns to what Larissa would consider video clips. Zooming by are images of people; every kind of person you could imagine from every nation both young and old. With each person it shows their eyes glow the same shade of dark purple and they shout out the names of various spirits. At last, many people later, it slows down. When it slows down it does so on a young dark-skinned man clothed in Water Tribe attire. What exactly the crisis is Larissa isn't sure but she knows it must be bad, for his eyes are already glowing purple.

"_Lianmin_," he shouts, "take mercy on me! I know I've done wrong, but please don't do this! Avatar Liwei needs me! The world needs me!"

_"__No!"_ says the disembodied voice of a gruff male. _"You have helped to destroy the balance of this world! It is for this irreversible mistake that you must be banished!" _

"Please!" begs the adolescent male. "Please, no! You're making a terrible mistake!"

_"__The only mistake I made,"_ says the voice, _"is not doing this sooner! From now on the Avatar will be the one and only! Never again will you be of service to this world!" _

After that is said the sky turns the same shade of purple as his eyes. The only thing that helps to dull the glare of it is a thin mist of fog. Somehow, although it doesn't seem possible, the teenage boy is sucked up into the air and disappears into the clouds. A few minutes later the purple and the mist fade away, leaving the sky a lovely shade of blue. It's is after that the large blue beam fades away, the water again turning deep and still with nothing but the ominous glow. Larissa finds herself huddled up against the wall terrified at what she's just seen.

Gaining her composure, she brushes off the hem of her robes and stands up. "What was that?" Larissa asks in terror.

"Something that Avatar Wan told us you needed to see," says the green-dressed woman appearing equally stunned.

Now more curious than afraid, Larissa eyes both of them. "Why would I need to see that? It was completely random."

"That's how it would appear," says Avatar Meili. "Even so, Avatar Kyoshi and I can both assure you that there was nothing random about it. We would tell you ourselves what all of that was about, but we cannot. Avatar Wan wants to tell you himself. This is probably the reason he didn't tell us why he brought you to this world."

"Okay," says Larissa feeling put-out. "That's just great. If Wan's the only person who can answer my questions, then why did I need to come to the spirit world at all? Couldn't the first Avatar work something out to…I don't know…contact my spirit or something?"

Kyoshi nods. "Actually, he is going to contact your spirit. The other incarnations and I told Wan that it's the very first thing he should do. Yet, for some reason, he said it was crucial for you to visit the spirit waters. Apparently the visions that we just saw are very important."

"And they are," Meili adds with a grin. "In order for you to understand everything he's supposed to tell you tomorrow you needed to see the past. It doesn't make much sense now, but it will once Wan contacts you."

Larissa gives a solemn nod. "Alright. I trust that what you're telling me is true. It's just that—"she cuts herself off when something occurs to her. "Wait. Did you say tomorrow?"

"Yes," the two Avatars say in unison.

"Tomorrow Avatar Aang is going to journey to a Fire Sage Temple in the Fire Nation in order to speak with Avatar Roku," Kyoshi explains. "In that same temple there is an ancient shrine set up to Avatar Wan located deep in the catacombs. It is there that you will be able to speak with Avatar Wan and learn your destiny."

"Don't worry about finding it, by the way," says Meili. "You won't be contacting Avatar Wan. Avatar Wan will be contacting you."

The blonde-haired girl's eyes widen. "But how will I know if it's him? Even if it is him, how will I get to the shrine? I need more information."

"I'm sorry," says Kyoshi. "Seeing as Wan's the one that brought you here, he's the one who gives orders to the other spirits concerning you. As is his order, we've given you all of the information we're allowed to give."

The mortal girl sighs deeply. "Oh. I guess I understand." Then, as if just realizing who she's in the presence of, she gives them a grin and bows deeply. "Thank you, Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili. It's been an honor getting to spend time with you."

Smiling, Aang's past lives bow in return.

"The honor is ours, Larissa," Meili says with honesty.

"Don't under credit yourself," Kyoshi says. "If Wan brought you here to this world and wishes to privately contact your spirit you must be very special."

"Well, Larissa, it has been a pleasure. Goodbye."

At that, Avatar Kyoshi bids farewell as well. "Goodbye, Larissa."

Looking up at them, they begin to fade from sight as do the cave walls and the spirit waters. Soon all she's able to see is darkness. Darkness, and then...an endless forest of bamboo stalks. Bamboo stalks, and then… several Earth Kingdom civilians searching for the way out.

* * *

"Hana! Katara! You're okay!"

The Water Tribe boy runs over to the girls at light speed, engulfing them in a hug stronger than Larissa thought Sokka could manage. Once they get released Aang, too, runs over and embraces them. Thankfully his isn't as strong as Sokka's.

"You two were trapped in the Spirit World for twenty-four hours," says Aang curiously. "How're you feeling?"

"Dizzy, lightheaded, and a little bit hungry," Larissa replies honestly. "Other than that I'm fine."

For a reason unknown even to her Larissa decides to leave out the whole journey with Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili. The whole thing was so bizarre that she's not even sure if they'd believe her. Although, if she knew that they wouldn't think her to be a basket case, she'd tell them all in a heartbeat. Of course with the whole dilemma of Aang needing to contact Avatar Roku at the Fire Sage Temple coming up this probably isn't the best time to mention it anyway. Curious about where Katara was during the whole thing, Larissa turns to her.

"Katara," she says, "I didn't see you the entire time we were there. Where were you at?"

The waterbender has a smile on her face ten times bigger than anything she's ever seen. Her lower lip quivering, tears start to slide down her dark cheeks. Laughing and crying at the same time, Katara rushes over to her brother and practically tackles him into an embrace.

"Whoa, Katara!" he exclaims in bafflement. "What's all this about?"

"Oh, Sokka, you won't believe it! When I woke up in the Spirit World I was in this garden. It had trees, and flowers, and a pond, and…well….everything. At first I didn't know where in the Spirit World I was, so I started wondering around. Then after a few minutes I started running into people dressed in Water Tribe clothes like us and I found out!"

The other three group members exchange glances before looking back at the joyfully weeping girl.

"What did you find out, Katara?" asks Aang.

"That garden!" she exclaims. "It's where the spirits Twi and La send all of the Water Tribe dead!"

It's those words that cause her to look in the face of her older sibling. Locking eyes, it's obvious to Larissa and Aang that there's some form of silent communication going on between them. A moment later Sokka gasps.

"No." he says to his sister in surprise.

"Yes!" Katara yells happily. "Mom was there!"

* * *

It was too late to get going anywhere that night. It's because of this that one of the villagers ended up letting Avatar Aang and his friends stay in their spare rooms. These rooms would be in the home of a widowed elderly woman. Her children and grandchildren off making better lives for themselves in Ba Sing Se, she lives in the house all by herself with two unoccupied bedrooms directly across the hall from one another. In one room are Katara and Larissa and in the other Aang and Sokka. It is in the girls' room, in the early night with the moon barely raised, that they end up having the deepest of conversations.

"It was amazing, Hana!" Katara says. "She looked so beautiful and seemed so happy. It was so nice talking to her and so nice being able to hug her. It was better than I ever could've imagined!"

Larissa can't stop the warm feeling that rises up inside of her, neither does she try to. Smiling warmly, she looks at her beaming friend.

"That's wonderful, Katara!" Larissa exclaims. "Did you guys talk? Did you tell her about what you're doing now and about how you're traveling with the Avatar?"

"Yes," says Katara. "I told her everything. She's so proud! When I told her about how Sokka rescued you and then about how all three of us found the Avatar five days later you should've seen her! Oh she's so happy about how everything's turning out! She asked about dad and about Gran gran, too. She's worried about dad fighting in the war, but she also knows that he can handle himself. Really, I've never felt happier in my life!"

Larissa gets up from her sleeping bag on the floor and moves onto the bed in order to hug her friend.

"I'm happy, too, Katara. Even if it was only for a short while, I'm glad that you got to see your mother."

"It doesn't matter if it was only for a short while. The point is that I got to see her one last time and say goodbye!" Katara, for the tenth time tonight, starts to tear up. A moment later she adds, "I only wish that Sokka could've seen her…"

To be honest, Larissa had thought of that the moment Katara had admitted to seeing their mother. While she is truly happy for her friend she only wishes that her other friend would have gotten to share in the experience. Earlier before settling into their rooms for the night she can almost swear that she saw the slightest hint of pain in his deep blue irises. It was only there for a second, but it still seemed to be there nonetheless.

Wiping tears from her eyes, the braided fourteen-year-old changes the subject. "I meant to ask you this earlier, but I forgot. Where were you at while we were trapped in the Spirit World?"

Flinching slightly, Larissa bites her lower lip. She really didn't want to bring this up tonight, but since she's been asked she might as well. "As strange as it sound, I was with Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili."

Katara arches her brow in astonishment. "You were spending time with past Avatars?"

Larissa nods. "Yeah. It was…interesting."

Beaming, the waterbender replies, "Wow. I guess getting kidnapped by Hei-Bai worked out well for both of us."

She chuckles at this statement. "Yeah, I guess it did. I really like Avatar Kyoshi; I now know that she's my favorite Avatar for a reason. Avatar Meili is nice, too. Believe it or not, she was an Avatar from the Fire Nation."

"You were talking to a Fire Nation Avatar?" Katara asks. "What was she like?"

"Avatar Meili? She's really elegant. Her hair is done up in these fancy pins and she has long flowing robes. Of course, she seems very wise and intelligent too. All in all, she's well balanced."

Her friend nods. "Well that's good. Tomorrow you should tell Aang that you met two of his past lives. He'd love to hear about them!"

Larissa cocks her head to one side considering this. "You know what? He would, wouldn't he? Yeah. I should tell him."

It's then that Katara lets out a yawn. When she does, Larissa realizes how tired she herself actually is. Releasing a yawn of her own the blonde girl crawls down from Katara's bed and into her sleeping bag.

"I'm sorry, Katara, but I'm _exhausted_. Can we continue this conversation in the morning?"

"Yeah," she replies suddenly sounding fatigued. "I think that's a good idea. Goodnight, Hana."

A few minutes later Larissa hears Katara's deep and even breathing. Despite the fact that she's tired Larissa has trouble falling asleep. The only thing on her mind, the thing that she can't even begin to break free from, is the idea of speaking to Avatar Wan. After what Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili told her, she wants nothing more than for him to explain everything. Why would he summon her here? What did those visions of the past that the Spirit Water showed her mean? Does it even mean anything or did Avatars' Kyoshi and Meili get their facts wrong? To anyone else tomorrow doesn't seem too far away. To Larissa, however, it seems like an eternity.

* * *

_**A/N: Ha, at last we're getting to my favorite part of the story! If you thought that this chapter was interesting, wait until the next one! Well, that's it for now. Tell me what you think. I appreciate your reviews. Well, until next time! :)**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Okay, my dear readers, it is time! This the moment we've all been waiting for! (Or at least it's the moment that I've been waiting for...) This is the chapter where Hana/Larissa is going to make contact with Avatar Wan and learn her destiny! I swear, I have been waiting in anticipation to post this chapter all day! Only, with all of the errands we've had to run and things we've had to do, I have lacked the time up until now. Meh, enough about me! Read the chapter and learn Hana/Larissa's destiny! I'm so excited! Enjoy. :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar the Last Airbender, but I do own Larissa. :P_

* * *

Chapter Nine

The light of the full moon shines brightly over a forest teeming with nightlife. With the stars glimmering around the illuminated orb as well as shining against the inky black canopy the sight couldn't look quainter. Larissa could stay here and enjoy the sight all night. However, an invisible force tugs her downward. She feels herself floating down below the canopy and past the branches until reaching the forest floor. Even so, she can sense her body hovering just above the ground. It takes her a moment to get used to the feeling before she's able to look up and notice two people standing over by an exceptionally large-trunked tree. Like before, an invisible force pulls her in their direction.

A long moment passes until at last she's able to confirm their identities. Somehow, the two people just so happen to be herself and Prince Zuko. Confused by the phenomenon, she floats closer out of her own free will. The Fire Nation prince is dressed in black from top-to-bottom, his dual swords lying on the ground a few feet behind him alongside the Blue Spirit mask. Twisting an arm up above her head, Larissa watches from above as he shoves this _other her_ up against the tree. One thing she's able to note besides the frightened expression crossing her eyes would be that her clothes are entirely different.

Instead of being garmented in Water Tribe blue she's wearing what looks like odd wrap-around robes for female Air Nomads. The sleeves are short and yellow, a large splotch of orange fabric tied around her shoulder and falling down the rest of her like a dress. Other pieces of yellow and orange fabric are arranged so that they fall down the skirt delicately, making her Air Nomad attire absolutely perfect. Shaking off the surprise of the new outfit, Larissa watches carefully as the events take place.

Despite how low his tone of voice is, Larissa is able to here every whispered word. "Who are you Hana?" asks Zuko menacingly. "Who are you really?"

Larissa watches as she grits her own teeth together and looks him in the eye. "You're asking _me_ that question?" she says. "What about you? Who are _you_ really? Are you really trying to capture Aang in order to restore your honor or are you doing it because you feel forced?"

Grimacing, Zuko moves so that their noses are almost touching. Seeing all of this happen from above, it looks kind of creepy. "What are you talking about?"

"It's your father, Fire Lord Ozai. He says that he will restore your honor if you capture the Avatar, but will he really? Think about it, Zuko. He's only using you. A terrible person like him will probably end up destroying the world some day. The smart thing would be to forget your father and follow your own path. You may be his son, but that doesn't mean you're required to listen to him."

"Enough of your lies, filthy peasant! You don't know what you're saying!"

Larissa cocks her head oddly as she watches herself look the prince boldly in the eye. It's not a look she ever could have imagined crossing her own face. "I think I do. You, Prince Zuko, are letting an awful ruthless man control you when instead you could be splitting apart from him and changing the world for the better."

Zuko tightens his grip on the girl's wrist, giving a harsh laugh. "Ha! Changing the world for the better? When I capture you and Aang I'll be doing just that."

"Are you sure about that, Zuko?" she asks. "In the end, a person can't tell their own destiny. Not even myself or the Avatar."

Curious, Larissa is eager to see more. However, the scene changes just like it had in the Spirit Waters back in the Spirit World. In a single instant the forest disappears and she finds herself hovering inside of Fire Lord Ozai's throne room. Only it isn't his usual throne room. Based on the appearance of the rocky walls Larissa is able to identify it as the throne room located in the royal family's secret bunker. What episode was that again? Day of Black Sun part two? Shrugging, the blonde girl looks down from her spot near the ceiling.

The room is completely empty aside from Fire Lord Ozai and Zuko. It is then that Larissa decides that this really is the throne room from Day of Black Sun part two, for the Fire Lord speaks the exact same lines from the episode.

"…Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be _far_ steeper."

Just like the episode Ozai smiles venomously. Meanwhile, two wide arches of lightning erupt from his fingertips aimed straight for Zuko. Shrugging, Larissa prepares herself for the moment when Zuko redirects it. Only, the moment doesn't happen that way. Whether it is from lack of skills or the surprise of the shot in general, the lightning doesn't get redirected. Instead it zaps the teenager right in the chest directly where his heart is supposed to be. The electricity buzzes through him, looking more painful than she ever could've imagined. A few seconds later Zuko's eyes turn completely blank, the prince collapsing lifelessly to the ground. Larissa would be crying, but she's far too surprised for tears.

Suddenly, before she gets the slightest chance at crying, a voice comes somewhere from beyond.

"Hana?"

_"__Huh?"_ Larissa asks herself.

The voice comes again. This time it's louder than before.

"Hana! Hana, come on! You _have_ to wake up!"

Everything in her sight starts to fade to black at the feeling of somebody shaking her shoulders. A second or two passes and her blue irises pop open to the sight of Katara looking down at her previously sleeping form. Still a little bit shaken, Larissa sits up feeling the effects of cold sweats.

Relief crosses Katara's face as her friend works her way into a sitting position. "Hana! Good. You're awake. I know we've only been asleep for about an hour, but we have to go. Sokka just came and knocked on our door a few minutes ago. He said that we need to get over to the village square quick."

* * *

Sokka weaves his way through streets and to the village square as briskly as he can, Katara and Hana following closely behind. When he heard Aang slip out of their room a while back he had a hunch that it might not be a good thing. With the talk of how he had to get to that temple in the Fire Nation to contact Avatar Roku he figured that the little monk's most likely action would be trying to sneak away. Sure enough, it ends out that the Water Tribe boy was right. Working their way through a crowd of villagers, the three children approach the tattooed boy as he jerks relentlessly on Appa's reigns.

"…So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!"

The sight of the immovable bison relieves Sokka immensely. It's a good thing that Hana and Katara were quick getting outside or they might have missed the chance to catch Aang altogether. Not about to let the twelve-year-old venture into the Fire Nation alone, he approaches him.

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something."

"Please don't go, Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation," says his sister with emotion. "Neither can I."

Having given up on getting his sky bison to budge, Aang approaches his friends. "But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means. I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the Solstice. That's today."

Apparently Aang feels as though he's made his point, because he jumps onto Appa's back after the words are spoken. It is at that point when Hana shoves past them both and speaks up.

Urgency filling her voice, she says, "Aang, you aren't going into the Fire Nation alone. If you go, we go too."

Sokka gives a half smile at the girl's words. "She's right Aang. You aren't leaving here without us. We got your back."

* * *

They've been flying on Appa's back for hours now. Larissa can only hope that they reach the Fire Temple soon. The sooner she can talk to Avatar Wan the better. Everything Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili told her is close to driving her insane! At this current moment in time, however, speaking to Wan should be the least of her worries.

"Fire ball!"

Katara's panicked voice brings Larissa out of her deep labyrinth of thoughts. Below them, of course, is Zuko's warship. It is undoubtedly due to the obsessive prince that the flaming hot projectile object is hurdling toward them.

"I'm on it!" shouts Aang.

Tugging on the reigns, he manages to steer the bison clear of the fiery rock just in time. Relieved, Larissa looks down at the warship. Technically she should be alarmed at the thought of Prince Zuko following them and trying to shoot them down, but she isn't. In her mind's eye all she can see is the Fire Prince dropping dead after being hit by lightning. She shivers before tuning in to the sound of Katara's voice once more.

"We have to get out of Zuko's range before he shoots another hot stinker at us!"

"Can't you make Appa go any faster?" asks Sokka.

Looking just ahead of them, the blonde girl spots the answer to the Water Tribe boy's question. Stretching out a hand, she replies, "He could if it wasn't for that!"

The other three look ahead in the indicated direction.

"A blockade," says Katara sounding fearful.

"If we fly north we can fly around the Fire Nation ships and avoid the blockade. It's the only way," shouts the Avatar.

"We don't have time for that," Larissa spurts out.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you to come," says Aang. "It's too dangerous!"

The fifteen-year-old notes her waterbending friend's determination at his words. "That's exactly why we're here," the braided girl confirms.

Just as determined as his younger sister, Sokka commands "Let's run this blockade."

Taking her staff in hand, Larissa braces herself for the action. Not even a millisecond later fire balls come zooming through the air on every side of them. Doing his best to avoid them, Aang steers up into the clouds in attempt to give them some cover. Gritting her teeth, she clenches her staff tighter already knowing that she's going to need it. Certainly enough, it's after this thought when a fire ball comes hurdling toward them head-on. She watches as panic crosses the faces of her companions.

"I've got it!" she shouts out.

Instantly the girl leaps to her feet faster than she'd even thought possible. Glider tightly in her grip, she uses her airbending to give herself a boost as she air kicks it directly at its center. To her relief, it explodes into a million pieces and misses them completely. The impact shocking her, Larissa is flung back into Appa's saddle and lands on her back with a thud. The light-haired girl feels the hands of Sokka and Katara on either side of her as they help her sit up. Several other fire balls pass them by. Thankful that these ones don't come head-on like the other one, Larissa uses air balls as well as funnels to redirect them.

"Great job, Hana!" Aang shouts to her from up front.

Before she can respond another flaming rock comes up from underneath nearly rear-ending them. Acting fast, the rookie airbender uses her staff to bring up the largest gust of wind possible. Doing her best, she aims it at its middle. Like the other it shatters to bits.

"Don't thank me yet!" she yells in response.

It's at that very moment when the ride gets even bumpier, twice as many fire balls coming at them. Aang does his best to steer past them. As a result of this, however, Sokka is bucked and goes flying from the saddle.

"Sokka!" Aang yells.

He is about ready to take Appa and dive after him. It is only Larissa who stops this action. Using her airbending, she transforms her staff into a glider.

"Don't," she calls out. "I've got him!"

That being said she leaps off of Appa's back and dives in the direction of Sokka's descent. Spotting him, Larissa flies over at light speed and manages to grasp the dark-skinned boy by the arm. Readjusting him, she makes sure that his arm is around her waist and her arm is clutching his back securely.

"Whatever you do don't let go," says Larissa.

Wide-eyed he screams, "Why in the name of Momo would I _ever_ let go?!"

Chuckling at the exclamation she flies back up and into the clouds. Catching sight of Appa Larissa glides over and lands them perfectly in the saddle.

"Sokka," Katara asks, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he says a little bit in disbelief.

Another second passes and, _finally_, the fire balls stop coming. It's at this moment that Aang steers Appa downward. Gazing just to the rear of the animal, they all watch as the Fire Navy blockade grows smaller and smaller. Larissa gives an exaggerated sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"Well," says the lady airbender, "it looks like we got past that roadblock."

She hears as Aang cheers loudly from up front. "We made it!"

Peering over at the Water Tribe siblings, Larissa sees nothing but fear and unbelief written across their faces.

"We got into the Fire Nation..." says Sokka, "…Great…"

* * *

The four children run through the halls of the Fire Temple as quickly as possible. The Fire Sages being after them they know that they must reach Avatar Roku's statue immediately. As for Larissa, she's keeping her eyes and ears open for any type of sign that might be from Avatar Wan. Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Meili did tell her that he would be contacting her and not vice versa, therefore, she's trying to be as perceptive as possible. Of course with all of the running it's actually getting kind of hard.

"Follow me!" shouts Aang.

"Do you know where you're going?" Sokka asks.

"Nope!" Aang disappears around a corner. Before they have a chance to follow along the monk comes shooting back, a Fire Sage following closely behind. "Wrong way!"

Panicked at the sight of the man, they follow Aang as he dashes down another corridor.

"Come back!" the Sage shouts.

Desperate to lose him they turn corner after corner. Eventually, however, they run into a dead end. Nowhere left to run, they're forced to face the Sage as he approaches.

"I don't want to fight you," he says. "I am a friend."

The only one who isn't standing ready to fight would be Larissa. She hadn't remembered this before, but now she recalls that his words are true. She looks to Sokka as he makes a declaration from beside her.

"Firebenders aren't our friends."

The red-clad man comes closer at his words. Looking at Aang, he falls on his knees and bows. "I know why you're here, Avatar," says the Sage.

Aang's stiff posture relaxes slightly as he peers at the man clearly puzzled. "You do?"

He stands up. "Yes. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."

"How?" the twelve-year-old inquires.

Suddenly the Fire Sage, Larissa thinks Shyu is his name, pulls back a light fixture. He shoots fire into a small hole in the wall, a secret passageway being revealed as a panel of the wall slides away. They exchange glances before looking to Shyu.

"This way." Suddenly the voices of the other Sages can be heard nearby from another corridor. "Time is running out. Quickly."

Looking at each other in agreement, they make their way inside the passage. First Aang goes in, and then Sokka and Katara, and then Larissa. Shyu is the last to enter, but he eventually works his way up to the front of the line. This leaves Larissa toward the back of the group just the way she wants it. The group of them works their way down stone-carved stairs innocently. It takes only a few minutes for them to reach the vast system of tunnels that has awaited them below. Up front Shyu is giving a history lesson about how Avatar Roku formed the passages. Interested, Larissa does her best to listen. That, however, is when she hears it; a gentle male voice, no louder than a whispering wind.

_"__Larissa."_

Despite the fact that she'd been waiting for something like this, she jumps a little bit. Hearing the commotion, the others look back at her.

"Hana," says Aang, "are you okay?"

Larissa forces a smile. "Yes," she replies. "I'm fine."

Shrugging they turn back around to listen to Shyu. That is when she hears it again.

_"__Larissa."_

No longer scared, she pauses and turns in the direction of the voice. Not noticing their friend's strange actions the others keep on walking. Looking around, she waits for it to sound off again.

_"__Larissa, come to me." _

Turning her gaze up the corridor, she now sees that she's completely alone. Satisfied, she replies to the voice. "Yes, Avatar Wan. I'm coming. Where do you want me to go?"

Upon asking this a large section in the cavern walls opens up. Slightly hesitant, Larissa takes a step toward it. Looking inside she instantly notices that rather than magma this tunnel is lined with bright red crystals. Being halfway inside the doorway, the girl finds herself too cautious to move another inch. Perhaps there's still time to catch up with Shyu and the others… As if reading her thoughts, Wan speaks to her again.

_"__Don't be afraid, Larissa. Did my other incarnations not tell you that I'm supposed to contact you?"_

Larissa gives an awkward chuckle at the teasing tone of his voice. "Yes, I suppose they did."

_"__Good. Then come on. We have a lot to talk about." _

Smirking, she asks, "Would it kill you to show yourself? Talking to a disembodied voice isn't exactly the most…comforting…"

Wan laughs._"__I'm sorry, Larissa. It would be a little frightening, wouldn't it?"_

Suddenly, about three feet in front of her, a swirl of dust starts to form. At first it's merely a cloud. A second later that cloud forms arms, legs, a body, and a head. Then, to her relief, the dust vanishes completely to reveal the long-haired man with the goatee and amber eyes. Happy to get to see him in person, she takes in the sight of him. Really he's shorter than she thought, and more muscular than lean.

Smiling, he asks, "Is this better?"

Feeling good at being able to see him, she steps inside the tunnel completely. The cavern wall closes up behind her, but Larissa doesn't notice. Instead her eyes are on the first Avatar.

"Yes," she replies. "Much better. Thank you."

Satisfied with himself, Wan speaks. "Please come with me. Now that I've finally been able to contact you, we have a lot to discuss."

Quirking a brow, Larissa looks at him quizzically. "What is there to discuss?"

"The fate of the world as we know it. You're purpose for being here. Who you are. All of these things." Wan holds out a hand. "Are you ready to hear about it?"

Taking a bold step forward, Larissa places her palm in his. "I'm ready."

* * *

"We're almost there," says Shyu. "If we get the doors open you will have to rush inside. The other Sages will be doing all that they can to prevent you from contacting Avatar Roku."

Sokka notices as Aang smiles. "Thank you for your help, Shyu."

Shyu smiles to the boy in return as they continue up the stairs. The more Sokka thinks the more he wonders what Katara and Hana think of all this. _If_ they get the doors open? What's that supposed to mean? Curious, he turns to ask them their opinions on the matter. Upon doing this, however, he notices that there is only one female behind him. Blue eyes widening, the Water Tribe boy stops to look the spiraling staircase up and down to no prevail. Taking a few steps downward, he's hoping to see that she's simply lagging behind. To his dismay, this is not the case either.

"Katara," Sokka asks, "Where's Hana?"

Sokka's question causes the whole group of them to pause.

"I don't know," Katara replies. "She was right behind me a minute ago."

"Well, a minute ago doesn't matter. She's not here now," states Sokka.

"Where is she then? Do you think she wandered off?"

"I'm not sure," he says, "but I do know that we need to go find her. If we leave her alone the Fire Sages might capture her."

"This is very true," Shyu interjects. "We must go find her immediately."

Shifting, they're about ready to work their way into a jog in order to find the girl. Well, it would be a jog for most of them. When it comes to Sokka, it would've been more of a sprint. Although, none of them gets the chance to move more than two steps before Aang intervenes.

"Guys, wait!" Aang exclaims.

For the first time today, Sokka feels irritated rather than fearful or nervous. "Aang, what is it?" he asks the airbender. "We need to go find Hana and get you to Roku's statue."

Hesitantly, the monk works his way into an explanation. "Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think that we should try to find Hana. I have a strong feeling that she's doing something...I don't know…important?"

"Important?!" Sokka exclaims. "What could she possibly be doing that's important? Holding off the Fire Sages or getting tied to a pole? I don't think so. We need to find her now!"

"Sokka, you aren't listening to me!" the airbender shouts. "It's hard to explain, but whatever it is she's doing I feel like she shouldn't be interrupted. I'd stake my arrow on it."

"What? Aang, are you even hearing yourself? She's probably in trouble!"

Trusting Aang's Avatar powers, Katara defends him. "I don't know, Sokka. I think Aang's right. Maybe Hana is off doing something important."

"Yeah," the bald-headed child continues. "And if she is I'm sure that she'll be fine. We'll probably be reunited with her the moment I'm done talking to Roku."

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Sokka gives in. "Fine. But if you get finished talking to Avatar Roku and we still don't see her, I'm going after Hana with or _without_ you."

Shyu interrupts once again. "If this is the case, then we'd better get going. The height of the solstice is nearing."

Taking the Fire Sage's word for it, they jog the rest of the way up the stairs. Hana's disappearance nags at the forefront of Sokka's mind the whole time.

* * *

Avatar Wan leads the girl down the crystal-filled tunnel to a large cave-like area. Upon arriving there, Larissa is stunned by the beauty of it. There must be five times as many of the large red crystals than in the tunnel. Not only that, but there are multiple torches lit. With so many lights reflecting off of them at once, it sets the room in a lovely type of glow. At the center of the cavern surrounded by candles set aflame is an ancient statue of Avatar Wan. Like the one at the Southern Air Temple, he is standing there with Rava and it is weathered by age. At long last Wan releases Larissa's hand and motions for her to take a seat on a nearby boulder. Once she's comfortable she doesn't even wait for him to speak before asking questions.

"Okay, now that we're here, can you please explain? Why did you take me out of my own dimension and bring me here? And what did my visions mean that I saw in the Spirit Waters yesterday? Who were those people?"

"I don't know, Larissa," says Wan. "Those are a lot of questions. Where do you want me to start?"

"I don't care," Larissa says simply. "Just start anywhere so long as my questions are answered."

He gives a stiff nod. "If that's really how you feel, then do you mind if I start with the Spirit Waters? By answering that question I'll be answering several."

Taking a deep breath, Larissa nods wordlessly.

Smiling, Wan jumps into the explanation. "The Avatar hasn't always been the one and only, you know. About three Avatars after me, which would be about nine-thousand and seven-hundred years ago, the Avatar discovered that he couldn't keep balance by himself. The world at the time was falling into a terrible state of ruin that not even the Avatar could fix." He pauses slightly before continuing.

"It was after seeing this that a thought occurred to me. Maybe the world didn't have to have just one all-powerful being. Maybe there's room enough for two. The first all-powerful being, of course, would be the Avatar; master of all the elements. The second would also have more than one element, but they wouldn't be the master of all four. Instead this being would be able to put their soul into the Spirit World and summon spirits to the physical world for help. Then, in order to further set themselves apart from the other humans, they would be able to bend two elements. This being wouldn't be any less powerful than the Avatar. Instead, they would be considered an all-powerful companion to the Avatar; the Intatar.

"When this idea formed inside my head, I knew that it would probably be this that saved the world. Of course, even as the first Avatar I couldn't just snap my fingers and make a new all-powerful being appear from the dust. I needed the help of the spirits, so I went deep into the Spirit World and talked to the oldest and most powerful spirit of them all: _Lianmin. _When I told him about my idea he took mercy on me and on the mortals. On that very moment when a baby was born, Lianmin touched it and gave it the power to contact the spirits and master two elements. Because of the spirit Lianmin, the first Intatar was born."

In befuddlement, Larissa can't help but interrupt. "Wait. There used to be a companion to the Avatar called the _Intatar_?"

Wan nods eagerly. "Yes. The Intatar was the master of two elements and of the spirits."

At last comprehension takes over. "The Intatar wouldn't have had glowing purple eyes?"

"Actually, yes. When the Intatar put their soul into the spirit world in order to summon the spirits for help their eyes would glow purple."

Eyes widening in understanding, she exclaims, "Oh! So that's what the Spirit Water showed me! All of those people. They were Intatars!"

"That's exactly it."

Chomping down on her lower lip, another question emerges. "But Wan, if the Avatar used to have a companion then why doesn't he now? What happened to the Intatar?"

Wan sighs at this question. "The last Intatar was in existence fourteen-hundred years ago, two centuries before the existence of Avatar Meili. At this point in time there was a great era of peace in the world; greater than it had been in centuries. Because of this, the Intatar felt like he had…some free time."

Confused, Larissa inquires, "Free time? What do you mean?"

Grimacing, he continues. "The Intatar stopped trying to keep balance. Instead, he got bored and used his powers to journey into the Spirit World and mess with the spirits. One time when he did this, he unintentionally released a dark spirit into the world. The world was nearly destroyed. If it hadn't been for the Avatar the human race would have gone extinct. When the Great Spirit Lianmin learned about how the Intatar abused the power he'd given him, Lianmin was furious."

She gasps. "The spirit Lianmin _destroyed_ the Intatar?"

"No," Wan confirms. "The Intatar was banished."

"Banished?" Larissa asks in mystification. "To where?"

For the first time since the story's beginning, Wan looks her directly in the eye. "To a world where bending doesn't exist. A world where, even if you have bending, it disappears once you get there. There the Intatar could live peacefully and do no more damage to humanity."

"Hold on," Larissa interrupts once more. "When you say the Intatar was banished to a world without bending, you don't mean my world do you?"

"Yes, Larissa," he states boldly. "I mean exactly your world. This way not only would that specific Intatar be destroyed, but he would be reborn again and again in your world and do no harm."

The blonde-haired girl raises her brow. "The Intatar has a reincarnation cycle like the Avatar?"

Avatar Wan simply nods. Seeing this response, she voices her thoughts.

"Then that means the Intatar cycle would continue no matter what world they're in. Whether it is here or in my dimension or in a dimension light-years away, the Intatar would continue to be reborn."

"That's right," Wan says with a smile. "And the Intatar _was_ reborn. And now, with the world in crisis once again, the Intatar's help is needed."

It is at this point in time when neither of them speaks. They simply look at each other eye to eye, Wan trying to give his thoughts away to Larissa by method of some secret code. This confuses Larissa. For a long time it confuses her. And then, like a bolt, it clicks.

Gasping hard, she finds herself tumbling off of the boulder and onto the hard ground. "No!" she yells. "No! It isn't true! It can't be true! It's impossible! This whole thing is a lie!"

Wan walks over to her and helps Larissa to her feet. Meanwhile, he does his best to soothe her. "You can say that all you want, Larissa, but that doesn't change your destiny."

"My destiny? What destiny?!" she pauses before saying, "Oh, for the love of crap, this can't be real!"

"It's very real," states Wan. "The Intatar cycle continued in your dimension and destiny picked you. Whether you like it or not, you are the next Intatar."

* * *

Finally at the top level of the temple, Sokka looks at the large double doors. Hopefully Aang can just get in, talk to Roku, and get out. The sooner they can go and find Hana, the better. How can Aang possibly think that Hana went missing on purpose?! It's insanity! Hana would never separate from them. She knows how dangerous it is!

Sighing, a single thought passes through the Water Tribe boy's mind.

_'__Wherever Hana's at hopefully she's safe. Aang had better be right._'

If they find her and later find out that she'd simply gotten lost, the Avatar might never be forgiven.

* * *

A sudden migraine forming, Larissa works her way back over to the rock and takes a seat. Wordlessly, Wan goes over and sits next to the cave wall in order to let her take in the news. A few minutes pass them by before Larissa voices her thoughts once more.

"How can I possibly be the Intatar? Even if I do have the power of airbending I can't bend any other elements. I don't have any type of connection with the spirits or with superpowers either. At this rate, I'd be considered the worst Intatar ever!"

Looking up, Wan smirks at her. "That's not true, Larissa. Your Intatar powers are starting to work already and you don't even know it."

The girl eyes him oddly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you've already had visions. Last night when you were sleeping you saw the future. You also saw the future on that ship when you got arrested for earthbending."

Letting his words sink in, Larissa thinks back to the night before. Visions? It would certainly make sense. She'd already been thinking that they were some of the most vivid dreams she'd ever had. Still, it doesn't make _a lot_ of sense. How would she end up in the middle of the woods with Zuko dressed up like an Air Nomad? And then that whole thing she'd watched in the Fire Lord's secret bunker. Zuko didn't die from the lightning bolt. He redirected it! And on the ship with Sokka and Haru. What vision is he talking about? She'd never had a vision there!

As if reading her thoughts, Wan speaks to her gently. "On the ship when Zuko attacked you he wasn't really there. That whole thing was a vision of something that's going to happen."

For the third time in the past half hour Larissa feels shocked beyond belief. "Wait? Zuko attacking me wasn't real? But I felt it! He held me up against the wall and pinned me down with dual swords!"

"Exactly," says the first Avatar. "When something really important is going to happen sometimes the Intatar will have extremely vivid visions. Sure that whole thing didn't happen then and there on the ship, but it will happen nonetheless."

Quirking her brow, she thinks back to the dreams once again. They were in the forest and he'd had her pinned up against the tree. His dual swords were laying somewhere behind him as if he'd used them before. Then he'd said…

_"__Who are you, Hana? Who are you really?"_

Snapping her fingers at the realization, she stands up. "Now that you mention it, it does make sense! The vision on the ship and then my dream vision; they're both one-and-the-same."

Avatar Wan grins widely. "See. Look how fast you're catching on. You really are the Intatar."

Larissa can't help but smile at the compliment. Then she asks, "But what about the other part to my dream? That really wasn't a vision was it? Zuko survives that."

Wan goes silent for a long time. When he does answer his voice is very soft. "No. He doesn't."

The words strike Larissa right in the chest. "What?" she says feeling stunned.

Sighing, he says, "This is part of the reason I've brought the Intatar back to this world. In your world our entire dimension is nothing more than a television show meant for entertainment. Don't get me wrong. Things actually line up really well between the show and this world. The only thing that doesn't match is the way the people in your dimension end the television series. In reality, things turn out very different."

Curiosity overwhelms her. "Different how?"

"First of all," starts Wan, "Zuko dies on the day of the solar eclipse when he goes to face his father. As a result of this, he never joins team Avatar at the Western Air Temple and Aang never learns firebending."

Larissa finds herself tearing up at the news. "So it's true then. Zuko does die."

"Yes," says the spirit/man. "And that's not all. Before Sozin's comet Aang actually never goes to see the lion-turtle neither does her learn how to take away bending. Without this advantage and without knowing how to firebend, Aang doesn't defeat Fire Lord Ozai. Instead, on the day of the battle, Fire Lord Ozai kills Aang in the Avatar State. As a result the reincarnation cycle is broken, the Earth and Water nations are killed out, and the Phoenix King is born. The world falls into complete chaos that can never be undone."

She stares at him wide-eyed. "No. That isn't possible. Zuko survives and teaches Aang firebending. Aang takes Ozai's bending away and saves the world. The world doesn't fall into chaos!"

Wan nods in distress. "The world _does_ fall into chaos. Without help, the Avatar is unable to restore balance. That is the reason I've brought you here, Larissa. You're an all-powerful companion to Aang. With you and Aang working together you can stop these horrible things from happening."

"Avatar Wan, I mean no disrespect, but I'm just a normal girl. How am I, a fifteen-year-old from another dimension, supposed to do anything to stop this?"

Wan smiles, hope filling his amber eyes. "You're the Intatar. You've done it before and you'll do it again. In order to restore balance the two of you have to go and face Fire Lord Ozai _together_. It's the reason Lianmin created the Intatar in the first place."

Larissa sighs, accepting the weight of his words. "I know. I promise that I will do my best to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord. Only…"

"What about Zuko?" Wan finishes for her.

"Yeah," Larissa confirms.

"In order to save Zuko's life so that he will be able to one day rule the Fire Nation, he has to join you before the fall of Ba Sing Se. If he doesn't he will go off with Azula on the day of the coup and will certainly die."

"Before the fall of Ba Sing Se?" asks Larissa. "Wow. I hope I can manage that."

Wan places a hand on her shoulder at her words. "For the sake of the world you have to."

Suddenly Wan's image starts to turn blurry, telling her that the solstice is ending.

"I'm afraid that we'll have to go our separate ways for now," says Wan. "With you and Aang working together, I know that balance will be restored."

Hands folded together, Larissa bows. "Thank you, Avatar Wan. I will do my best."

Before disappearing completely he says one final thing. "You will succeed. I know it."

* * *

Aang, Sokka, and Katara run down the hallway as fast as their legs will carry them. Magma is pouring down the sides of the walls as the building begins crumbling. Avatar Roku did his best to destroy the temple, leaving the trio of children running through the hallways trying to find their still lost friend.

"Where's Hana?" Katara says. "Aang, I thought you said that we'd be able to meet back up with her!"

A large marble column collapses directly in front of them, forcing them to dodge.

"I did," says Aang. "We're going to run into her any moment now. I promise."

Knowing that there isn't much time left they run through the building. If they don't find Hana soon they're all going to perish. Then, to their relief, they see a flurry of Water Tribe blue rounding the corner towards them.

"Hana!" Aang exclaims. "You're safe!"

The girl simply gives a nod. "Yes, I'm safe. Now let's get out of here before the building collapses!"

Happy to have their friend back with them, they turn and run for the stairs. Unfortunately though, the bottom of it is blocked off by molten lava. Not knowing what else to do, they run for a gap in the wall created by the fallen column. It is at that very moment that Appa appears to assist them. Each of them manages to jump from the gap to Appa's back enabling them to fly away just in time. Staring at the sight, they all wait for their blood-pressure to go down.

"Hana," says Sokka at last, "where were you? Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Laying flat on her stomach, Hana switches positions so that she's leaning back against the edge of the saddle. Wide-eyed she looks up at them all. There's such a dense mixture of emotions written on her face that it's impossible for Sokka to pick one out. Therefore, he just lets her speak.

"No," says Hana. "It wasn't that at all. It's just— Oh gosh there's so much to explain. I can't even think of where to start!"

A broad grin crosses the Avatar's face as he crawls over to sit beside her. "I think I know," says Aang. "Avatar Roku told me everything, Hana."

Clearly shocked, Hana gazes over at him. "He did?"

"Yes," confirms the Air Nomad. "Roku told me that while I was talking to him that you were talking to the first Avatar."

The light-haired girl lets out a chortle. "Oh. Well, I guess that's less explaining for me."

The grin never leaves Aang's face as he puts a hand on her shoulder. Really, the whole scene befuddles Sokka. Looking at his sister's face, it seems as though she's having the same reaction.

"The first Avatar?" asks Katara. "Why would you need to talk to him?"

It's obvious that Aang wants to reply, but Hana beats him to it.

"I did know the answer to that at first either," says Hana, "but I do now. It's like I said. There's so much to tell you."

"Like what?" asks Sokka.

It's at this point that Aang exclaims, "Don't you get it? Hana's not just another human. She's the Intatar!"

* * *

"It's true," says Aang. "Monk Gyatso used to tell me stories about the Intatar all the time. He also told me about how the last Intatar was killed in the Intatar State and went extinct fourteen-hundred years ago."

The little airbender continues jabbering away as he adds kindling to the campfire. It's taken several hours, but they've finally managed to get out of the Fire Nation and back in the Earth Kingdom. Now that they finally feel safe they've gotten right down to business on Hana and this _Intatar_ stuff. At first it all sounded very bizarre to Sokka, but the more they talk about it the more sense it makes. Based on what Aang's saying as well as Hana the pale-faced adolescent really could be this…_Intatar_…creature…thing.

At last his sister interrupts the Avatar's excited ramblings. "Hold on," she says. "If the cycle was broken and has been broken for over a millennium then why has the Intatar suddenly returned?"

Looking to Aang, Sokka waits for an answer. However, it just so happens to be the Intatar herself who explains.

"Avatar Wan told me that he plead with the Great Spirit Lianmin to have the Intatar restored to the world. He said that with both the Avatar and the Intatar working together the Fire Lord might be able to be defeated before the comet comes. Without the Intatar to give a helping hand balance could be an impossible thing to restore."

"That's the exact same thing Avatar Roku told me!" the monk exclaims. "He said that when the comet comes at the end of the summer Hana and I have to face Fire Lord Ozai _together_."

Listening intently, Sokka tries to wrap his head around everything he's learned. "Okay," he says. "I understand that Hana is supposed to be blessed by the spirits and is meant to help save the world. What I'm not getting is what her special _Intatar_ powers are supposed to be."

Hana speaks again at this inquiry. "According to Wan, I'm capable of bending two elements. Like Aang, I assume that I need to master them by summer's end. My most major ability, however, would be contacting the spirits."

Katara beams. "You can contact the spirits?!"

She shrugs. "Technically I'm supposed to be able to. In the Intatar State the Intatar's eyes glow purple and they put their soul into the Spirit World in order to summon spirits to the physical world. How in Ozai's name I'll accomplish that I have no idea!"

Aang cocks his head before asking, "Have you ever done anything like that before?"

Hana gives a harsh laugh. "Are you kidding? I just found out I was some all-powerful companion to the Avatar and blessed by the spirits five hours ago! I barely know how to whistle and snap my fingers. How am I supposed to master two elements along with spirit communication by the end of the summer?!"

"Trust me, Hana. I know the feeling. Take it from someone who has to master all four elements!"

Hearing the depths of their concern, Sokka can't help himself. What better time to lighten the moment?

"It's okay, Hana," he says. "Maybe you can use your Intatar powers to summon some ancient spirit here to help you out. Like a butterfly. Ooh! Or a worm!"

At the last minutes he adds spirit noises to height the affect. Hana shoots him a glare. Despite this, he's almost certain that he sees the corners of lips quirking upward. Eventually she laughs.

"Okay, if you know so much then you can go into the Spirit World and bring back the ancient Intatar worm-guru yourself. If you get eaten by a spirit monster the blame is on you."

"Hey you can't do that!" he says. "Can't you summon another spirit to protect me?"

"Nope. I'm too busy mastering airbending. You shouldn't be worried, though. You have your boomerang to protect you."

"Oh! You've gone too far that time!" Sokka exclaims. "Nobody insults Mister Boomerang!"

From there the whole thing just keeps going. Eventually Aang and Katara fall asleep, leaving the two to their playful arguing. The mock argument doesn't end for at least an hour.

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, I have to know. What are your thoughts? I'm dying to know! **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Okay, guys welcome to the episode The Waterbending Scroll. Or, as I'd like to call it, The Airbending Scroll. Just so you know, I did some major changes to the chapter. I got going and it kind of took on a life of its own. No matter, I loved every moment I spent writing this chapter. I'd explain what happens, but I'll just let the chapter tell its self. Also, I'd like to thank you for your reviews! I love reading them! Anyway, for now, enjoy the chapter! :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

Chapter Ten

The children fly through the sky on Appa doing their best to get in travel time. Ever since waking up this morning, however, Sokka has noticed that the Avatar seems fidgety. It started out with him twiddling his thumbs and then progressed to him tapping his feet. Now it's gotten so bad that he's pacing back-and-forth across the saddle. Turning his head around so that he's facing the Air Nomad, he addresses the situation.

"Would you sit down? If we hit a bump you'll go flying off! What's bugging you anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said," the Avatar replies. "I have to have the elements mastered before that comet arrives so Hana and I can take down the Fire Lord."

"Well, let's see, you've pretty much mastered airbending and that only took you one-hundred and twelve years… I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."

"I haven't even started waterbending and we're weeks away from the North Pole!" the Avatar exclaims. "Also, Hana needs my help mastering airbending. She can't do it without me! What am I gonna do?!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sokka sees as Katara and Hana pull Aang down so that he's sitting.

"Relax, Aang," says Hana. "I don't need you there every moment of the day for me to learn airbending. Sure I need your help to learn some of the more advanced forms that I haven't learned yet, but I can practice on my own. As for your waterbending dilemma, is there not a waterbender right here beside us?"

"Hana's right, Aang," Katara confirms. "If you want, I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know."

Sokka can already hear the smile in Aang's voice. "You'd do that?"

His peripheral vision tells him that the two move to look over the edge of Appa's saddle. The whole waterbending thing being irrelevant to Hana's abilities she stays in her spot.

"We'll need to find a good source of water first," says the braided girl.

Smirking, Sokka comments, "Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in."

* * *

A little while later the group of four comes to a waterfall, the water at its base gathering so that it turns into a flowing river. The joy written on Aang and Katara's faces couldn't be any more apparent. Hana stands beside the two, a plain expression matching that of Sokka's.

"Nice puddle," comments the Water Tribe boy.

A minute later Appa groans happily as he drops into the water.

"Yehhh! Don't start without me, boy!" shouts Aang in excitement.

Hana calls to him. "Uh, Aang? Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh right. Time to practice waterbending."

Together the braided girl and the little bald airbender move to the water's edge preparing to practice.

"Great," says the pony-tailed boy. "So what are Hana and I supposed to do?"

Grabbing a stick, Aang walks over to them. "You could… take turns cleaning the gunk out of Appa's toes."

"Or…" Hana says as she steps in front of the younger airbender, "we could go to the marketplace for a while so we don't distract you. We flew over a pier a little ways back."

Aang drops the stick at her suggestion. "Okay. That works too."

Walking up behind Aang, Katara gives them a smile. "Actually, that sounds perfect. Teaching Aang waterbending one-on-one might actually work out for the better."

Sokka looks at Hana, relieved that she'd saved the day. _Anything_ but picking mud out of a giant bison's feet! "You mean we just go and browse for a couple hours while you two play in the water?"

"Sure," Katara says simply. "Why not?"

Happy at getting to do nothing for a few hours, he turns and grabs Hana by the arm. Amazingly the action actually causes her to laugh.

"C'mon, Hana! Let's hit the town!"

"Actually, it's more of a pier than a town," she corrects him.

"Who cares? There's stuff there!"

* * *

Larissa and Sokka walk down the dusty street perfectly astride, little shops lining the area on either side of them. Really, the walk there wasn't nearly as long as Larissa would've expected. Or at least it's not if there's someone to talk to. The saying _"time flies when you're having fun"_ has never rang more true. Why she suggested the pier in the first place she can't even remember. Most likely the reason is that she didn't want to pick mud and bugs out of Appa's feet. It looked gross and demeaning enough on the show. Seeing Appa in real life only adds to the feeling.

"Man, I wish Katara would've given us at least one copper piece!" Sokka exclaims from beside her. "I could have bought that boomerang. Did you see the metal work? Quality like that is hard to find at such a cheap price!"

Larissa chuckles."This from the person who's always preaching about spending our money wisely? Sokka, I don't even know you anymore."

Pausing in his steps, the Water Tribe boy defends himself. "Hey, it totally would've been a wise purchase. It would have counted as a weapon for self-defense."

She rolls her eyes playfully. "Of course. Gee. How silly of me."

Sokka points an index finger in her direction. "You're one to talk, Hana. Weren't you the same person who was on the other side of the room gawking at hairclips?"

Larissa shrugs. "I was, but you have to give me a break. It's hard to find hand-made hairclips with designs that intricate."

"Ha! See! You're guilty, too." Sokka pauses before adding, "Still. I don't see what's wrong with the hairclip Katara gave you."

"Nothing's wrong with it. In fact, I love it. It was a gift."

Sokka eyes her oddly at her claim, a mischievous look glazing over his eyes. Before speaking he moves closer by several feet. "Oh. So you love it, huh? Then what would you do if I did…_this_?"

The lanky teenager reaches out his arms and removes her hairclip. The little blue object securely in his hand, he takes off running down the street. Her braids which were previously tied in a knot at the back of her head are now falling down on either side of her face. Tucking them behind her ears, she shouts at him.

"Seriously, Sokka? Give me back my hairclip!"

He doesn't slow his steps in the slightest. "You'll have to catch me first!"

Aggravated she jumps into a sprint and runs after him. "Oh, what are you, five years old?"

"The little girl can't catch me? Ha, knew it!I'm just that good!"

"You have just messed with the wrong airbender, my Water Tribe friend!" she calls after him playfully.

It's already bluntly clear to her that she can't catch Sokka without her bending. As a child she was always picked last in gym class for a reason. Before he can get too far ahead Larissa manipulates the air around her to give herself a boost. This is actually one of the first tricks she'd learned from Aang. Running twenty times faster than she normally could she catches up to Sokka in seconds. Satisfied with herself, she slows down to his pace.

"Still think I can't catch you?"

Smirking teasingly, he says, "What are you too good to try the air scooter?"

"No," she says smirking in return. "It's just, with how dangerous it could be, I didn't want to put a brave warrior like you in danger. By unleashing that kind of power…I don't know, Sokka. Not even you could be brave enough to handle that kind of unbridled bending."

Sokka scoffs. "Unbridled bending? Oh, come on! Aang does the air scooter all the time! You just won't try it because you're scared."

Larissa releases and exaggerated gasp. "Dang it, Sokka, you've caught me. I really am scared. Terrified in fact! How'd you know? Which are you, an empath or a mind reader?"

"You know, you're sounding awfully bold right now for someone who still doesn't have their hairclip back."

It is now that Larissa realizes that he actually has a point. Wordlessly, she reaches an arm out to try and retrieve it. Unfortunately, Sokka moves his arm up just out of her reach. Using her bending once more, she boosts herself higher. By this time, however, he's switched hands and is turning a corner.

"Not funny, Sokka!" she calls after him.

He shouts out in response. "It is for me!"

The boy sporting the warrior's-wolf-tail does his best to disappear into the crowd. Although, this saddened attempt doesn't work in the slightest. Larissa is still able to see him as clear as day. Smiling, she considers what Sokka had said only moments before and finds it to be true. Why doesn't she try the air scooter? After all, Aang taught her how to do it just a few days ago. Not only that, but she's been practicing. And now, she's decided, it's time to practice again. Whipping up an air ball, Larissa balances on the top of it just like Aang showed her. A second later she's around the corner and barreling down on Sokka.

Hearing the commotion, Larissa sees as he looks back. The moment he notices her Sokka releases a scream. For a moment she doesn't understand. It's only when she finds herself unable to stop that she gets it. Not even close to stopping it in time, Larissa rams right into him going at full speed. In those few moments after colliding that they travel at least fifteen feet, whoosh past what feels like a wooden stand, and end up face-first in a pile of parchment, fabric, and other various items.

Only after the crash-landing is Larissa ever able to take everything in better. Around her she hears the sound of wood crashing on wood and of breaking glass. On top of her is a lopsided wooden cart with a missing wheel. Under her cushioning her fall is—…oh. Raising her head up from Sokka's blue-clothed chest, she looks him in the eye. Both of them are blushing scarlet.

The most she's able to do at this point is give an awkward chortle. "Uh…I seriously need to work on my air scooter."

Embarrassed, Sokka gives her a lopsided smile. "Yeah. I'd say you do."

Both of them working to push the cart off from the top of them, they stand up to look at the wreckage. Surrounding them are clothes and ancient scrolls scattered about. Also scattered are various knickknacks and pieces of jewelry. Not to mention, there's also the occasional broken vase. Or…what looks to be a broken vase. However, it's not only various strewn items that they see.

Glaring down at them from above is a group of both men and women looking very unhappy. Compared to everyone else on this pier their clothes look odd. The women wear long skirts and plain white shirts all decked out with scarves. The men in the group look similar to this, plain brown pants in the place of skirts. Almost every person in the group wears scarves wrapped around their heads or in one form or another. At long last one of them speaks. The person speaking would be a creepy-looking elderly woman, gold chains adorning her neck.

"You hooligans destroyed our wares and almost obliterated my crystal ball!"

Guiltily, Sokka and Larissa work their way to their feet.

"We're sorry," says Larissa. "We were just messing around and things kind of got out of hand."

"We promise that we'll stay and help you pick up your merchandise," Sokka puts in.

The elderly lady glares. As she does that it is discovered that one of her eyes is green and the other amber. Shivering, Larissa listens as she speaks out again.

"Well you'd certainly better. If you try to get away with this I'll put you under a curse that you won't soon break free from!"

Larissa is more than slightly afraid. Normally she would call this threat nothing but nonsense, but for some reason she can't help but believe this woman. Glancing over at Sokka, she is uncertain of whether or not he shares this opinion. He is definitely freaked out though, that's for certain. Gulping, Larissa does her best to respond. Even so, she does it fearfully. The last thing she needs is to get turned into a frog or something.

"Don't worry, ma'am," Larissa replies. "I promise that we'll do nothing of the sort. We'll help you pick up your wares and we'll do it well."

The hag gives a long and frightening cackle, necklaces jingling when she laughs. "Help? What do you mean _help_? If you don't want a dark spirit cursing your family for the next three-hundred years you two are fixing this mess on your own. Why should we help fix something that someone else destroyed?"

It is here that the light-haired girl discovers that Sokka's line of thinking truly does match her own.

"Wait!" he exclaims. "No curses! There's no need for any of that! Please. I promise that we'll clean everything up and be on our way without any trouble! I promise!"

The entire group of them stares at the two teens dressed in Water Tribe blue. A second or two passes before they crack up laughing. Sokka and Larissa exchange befuddled glances before looking back at them. To be honest, Larissa feels more relieved by their reaction than anything.

"Oh sweet Ozai, Ma." says one of them between laughs. "Do you have to go and scare everyone with that whole curse bit?!"

The old woman, cackling five times as much as before, wipes a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry, son. You know I can't resist."

"Wait," says Sokka in an offended tone. "You aren't going to curse us?"

"Oh, goodness no!" says one of the women. "We may be gypsies, but that doesn't mean that we go around cursing people."

"Not all the time, anyway," the hag lady adds.

Happy that they were only kidding, Sokka and Larissa begin laughing as well. It is only then that one of them says, "We weren't joking about the cleaning part, though. You two aren't going anywhere until all of our wears are back in order."

* * *

One Hour Later

Rather than fixing the cart and setting up their merchandise, the gypsies had Hana and Sokka organize it all and take it onto their ship. Truth be told, Sokka didn't even know that they _had _a ship. Once they'd pointed it out, however, he'd instantly understood how he missed it. The vessel is so small compared to the others that it looks more like a large boat than a ship. Even so, the gypsies don't seem to mind it. According to the creepy-eyed old hag gypsies are built for dry land rather than the sea. Still, if this is so, then why is this ship even in existence?

Shrugging at the internal question Sokka continues sorting through scrolls and putting them in boxes. Somewhere behind him is Hana rifling through knickknacks. Whether she knows it or not, he's going to be laughing at this incident for a long time. When she claimed her air scooter was dangerous she wasn't kidding around. Smiling, he turns slightly so that the girl is in his line of vision.

At the current moment in time the light-haired young woman is squinting in order to observe a small item in the palm of her hand. From the angle he's at, it looks to be a Pai Sho tile. So interested is Hana in the said object that she motions to one of the gypsy women milling around nearby.

"Excuse me," says Hana, "but I have a question. Is this a genuine lotus tile?"

Squatting, the woman adorned by the obsessive scarves and gaudy gold jewelry peers at the item. "Yes," she states simply. "Sure is."

Hana furrows her brow at the statement. "If that's the case, then can I ask how much you're charging for it?"

Scoffing, the woman waves a hand dismissively. "Honey, we'd never dream of charging money for that stupid thing. If you want it, take it."

The girl's face lights up. "Do you really mean that?"

The woman smiles as she gets to her feet. "On my honor as a gypsy."

Looking satisfied, the airbender shoves it in her pocket. "Thank you."

That business being taken care of, Hana returns to her previous task. Seeing this reminds Sokka that he should do the same. Picking up another scroll, he reads the label in order to decide what box it should go in. Upon reading it he discovers that it says, _"The Boy Who Cried Platypus-Bear."_

"Wow," Sokka says under his breath. "Gypsies really like their folk tales."

After this is said he tosses it into a crate that is currently full-to-bursting. Having only a few scrolls left to dig through the pony-tailed boy gladly picks up another. This time when he skims it over, however, he pauses. Huh. No title. Curiosity taking over Sokka unrolls it. Once he does this it isn't words that are revealed but pictures. Amazingly enough these pictures show step-by-step instructions of what appear to be different airbending forms. Next to each set of stances is a character telling the name of the move.

One set of pictures shows a man with a staff using it to whip up what looks like a thin shaft of air. This one is called the _air blade_. Next it shows a man forming a large dangerous looking column of air. That move is titled the _air vortex_. Below that set of stances is another named the _air grapple_…

A wide grin crosses his face as he discovers what it is. Knowing that Hana can't go another moment without seeing this scroll, Sokka calls to her. "Hana, get over here quick!" he shouts. "You have to see what I found."

Setting down a chain of glass beads she was holding, the fifteen-year-old looks over to him. "Sokka, if it's a scroll on fifty different ways to roast meat it doesn't interest me in the least."

"No not that! Though come to think of it that would be nice too…"

Suddenly curious, Hana walks over to him from the other side of the gypsy ship's storage room. "Really? What is it, then?"

"It's an airbending scroll. Come see for yourself."

Stepping over beside him, Hana looks down at the parchment as he spreads it out atop a cabinet. The moment the pale-faced girl sets eyes on it her blue irises light up with joy.

"It is an airbending scroll!" she exclaims. "Wow. Look at these moves. They look like some of the high-level techniques Aang told me about."

"Man, I bet he'd be real happy to see this," Sokka says at the mention of the monk.

Hana nods excitedly before pointing to the set at the top of the page. "That one looks like it'd be really interesting to try. What's it called?"

Sokka switches his gaze from the scroll to the girl at this question. "What do you mean what's it called? The name for its right there," he says in reference to the characters.

The younger girl releases a blush of mortification. "Uh…well…I think I'd feel better if you read it to me."

"Why?" the Water Tribe boy asks plainly.

The shade of red deepening, she bites down on her lower lip. "Well…you see…I—I can't…" Hana trails off without finishing her thought.

Right then is when it clicks into place. Stunned, Sokka blurts out, "You can't read? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's humiliating. I was kind of hoping that you guys wouldn't find out."

Sokka shrugs. "What's the big deal even if we do find out? It's an easy fix. We'll just teach you."

At this her blush instantly vanishes. "You'd really do that?"

He smiles kindly. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

Hana smiles in return. "Thanks. I guess I don't feel so bad now."

"You shouldn't. When we get back we can tell Aang and Katara and we'll help teach you together."

She gives a joyful nod before pointing back down to the scroll. "Now that the secret's out that I'm illiterate, can you please tell me what the move is called?"

"The air blade."

The thoughtful look on her face tells Sokka that she's storing this piece of information away. Nevertheless, this won't be necessary soon enough. Once they're through with her Hana will be able to read every word on that scroll and more.

"The air blade… Even the name sounds interesting. I'll have to ask Aang about that one. I know I haven't exactly reached the high-level techniques yet, but maybe he'll let me try it anyway."

The sound of somebody entering the room penetrates their in-depth conversation. Glancing over at the entrance way, it's seen to be the hag lady with the creepy eyes. She cackles in amusement at the sight of them, green/amber eyes twinkling.

"Well, I'd say that you two are very near finished. Good thing, too, or otherwise I might be tempted to put that curse on you!" she cackles viciously again, this time at her own joke.

Ignoring that last comment, Sokka skips straight to the topic of his magnificent find. "You know, while I was sorting through the scrolls I found this airbending scroll. It's in excellent shape. Where did you find it?"

Marching over beside them, the elderly gypsy takes a single peek before snatching it. Rolling it up, she shoves the ancient parchment onto a nearby shelf.

"Let's just say we got it up in Ba Sing Se at a most reasonable price; free."

Sokka and Hana exchange glances.

"You got it for free?" asks Hana wearily. "Or did you _take_ it?"

"Oh no, dear, I don't like to think of it that way. For business sake I'd like to refer to it as high-risk trading," says the wrinkly gypsy with a wink.

Narrowing his eyes, Sokka switches his gaze to the shelf before staring back at the hag. "So, how much for the _traded_ scroll?"

"Unless you have eighteen-hundred gold pieces on you at this very moment, the scroll is not for sale. It's already getting sold to a scholar down near Whale Tail Island."

"Oh. I'm sorry for asking about it then. We were just curious," says the Tribal boy.

Chuckling, the lady gives Sokka hard slap on the back. "Ah, I'm glad. Curiosity is a great thing for business!"

Apparently finished talking, the hag lady departs from the room. Only when she's gone does Sokka rub circles into his back. Man, she has some strength in those old arms!

"You wouldn't happen to have eighteen-hundred gold pieces hidden somewhere in your pockets would you?" asks Hana.

"Nope," the boy replies nonchalantly. "Do you?"

"No." She pauses before asking, "So I guess the airbending scroll stays here?"

"Yeah, but I wish it didn't have to. With the situation we're in it could really help."

It is at this moment that an unknown emotion fills Hana's eyes. First she searches the enclosure. Not spotting any gypsies milling around the pale-faced girl tiptoes up to the shelf and snatches up the ancient scroll. Dangling it in front of his face, she gives him a look which he catches onto immediately.

Glaring at her, he whispers in aggravation. "Are you crazy? We can't just steal their airbending scroll!"

Hana shrugs. "Why not? They stole it. Considering that they did it in Ba Sing Se, they might've taken it from a University scholar or a Nobleman."

"So? What does it matter? If we steal from them that creepy old lady will curse us with her…dark…spirit…magic!"

"Oh come on, Sokka. Get with it. These people are a bunch of low-life, thieving, wanderers who steal for easy money. If we steal from them we won't be doing it just for the heck of it. Aang and I need to master our abilities in order to defeat the Fire Lord. By taking the scroll all we're doing is helping the cause. Really, that's the only reason I want it at all!"

Sokka releases a heavy sigh. "I don't know Hana. It sounds…risky."

"Please, Sokka?" she pleads desperately. "You know we need to."

* * *

Twenty Minutes Later

Moving as fast as their legs can carry them, Sokka and Larissa weave their way through the dusty streets. Seeming very unhappy at having their airbending scroll stolen the gypsies are hot on their trail.

"Come on, Hana, run!" shouts Sokka.

"I am running!" she yells in response.

"Then run faster! They're gaining!"

The word _gaining_ is the vastest understatement Larissa has heard in a long time. They're doing more than gaining. Even with the thickness of the crowd they have the two practically surrounded. Knowing that it can't go on this way Larissa grabs Sokka by the arm and drags him into an alleyway. For a second the two can see from the little pathway as they scan the crowd for them. Not seeing hide or hair of them, the gypsies disappear from sight. Still not feeling safe, however, the duo keeps running.

"Hana, did you bring your glider?" asks Sokka hopefully.

"Yes," she replies, "but I'm that skilled with it yet. In order to use it, I need an open space."

"That's just great. Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Keep moving and hope we get lucky."

And that's just what they do. Working their way through the webs of alleyways, they try their best to come out near the woods so that they can escape and get back to Aang and Katara. To their luck, a few minutes later that's exactly the spot where they come out at. Only this kind of luck is bittersweet. Because standing there waiting for them isn't just the gypsies, but Prince Zuko and his men. Terrified by the sight, Larissa and Sokka do their best to turn around and run back into the alleyways. Although, when they discover a thick wall of gypsy men and fire benders behind them, this is rendered impossible. Taking her staff, Larissa is ready to blast them in the face with air and make a run for it. It is only after one of the firebenders reaches out and takes her weapon that this is made impossible also.

Turning back the other way, the two are forced to face Zuko. At first Larissa is wondering if this could be another elaborate vision. When she notices how Sokka glares at him pointedly, however, she knows that this is the real Fire Prince here and in the flesh. Zuko observes them closely before looking back at the gypsies. Unsurprisingly, it is the old haggard gypsy woman whom he addresses.

"Are these the Water Tribe peasants that stole your airbending scroll?"

"Yes," she says. "Stole it right out from under me, they did. And this was only after they flew into our stand and destroyed all of our merchandise."

Zuko eyes her strangely. "_Flew?_ What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that they _flew_. That pale girl right there is an airbender. That's the exact reason they took our airbending scroll."

Staring at the fifteen-year-old, the scarred prince begins walking closer to her. To be bluntly honest Larissa can't help but shiver a little. The more she's in this dimension the more she finds Zuko frightening rather than sexy. Of course that will probably change as the months go by. It has to if she wants to get him to join Team Avatar before the fall of Ba Sing Se like Wan had told her. It is now, being no more than two inches away from her, that he tilts her chin slightly upward with the point of his index finger so he's looking the girl in the eyes. His deep golden irises are observant yet calculating. Doing her best not to release her inner emotions she keeps her expression blank. Even so, Larissa is fairly certain that some of the fear slips through. At last Zuko speaks.

"An airbender?" he asks sneeringly. "That's impossible. The airbenders have been extinct for over a century. There's only one left, and he just so happens to be the one they're traveling with."

"But it's true," confirms one of the gypsy men. "We saw the whole thing. She was _airbending_ when they crashed into our cart."

It is now that an idea comes to Larissa. An idea that could possibly help her and Sokka get out of this situation. Working free from Zuko's grasp, she looks over to the gypsy man.

Laughing, she says, "An airbender? Are you joking? I'm not an airbender! If I was, then trust me, I'd be using my bending now."

"Really?" says the firebender holding her staff. "Then what is this for?"

Turning, she jerks the object from his grasp. "For whacking people that try to capture me, like you."

With that, she hits the man lightly in the head before pulling her glider close to her. She can almost swear that she sees Sokka smirk. Zuko simply shakes his head at her.

"Enough of this. Capture the Avatar's friends now!"

The firebenders alongside the gypsies start to move in on them. It's only when Sokka speaks that they pause in their steps.

"Wait! You're not just going to capture a couple of defenseless teenagers are you? Where's the fairness in that?"

"Where the fairness comes in," says the hag lady, "is in the fact that you stole our airbending scroll!"

Larissa gives an exaggerated gasp. "Ma'am, I'm shocked that you'd say that. We didn't _steal_. We _high-risk traded_."

Fuming, the elderly lady points at them. "You heard the homely lad with the scar! Capture them!"

Before they can get too much closer, Sokka takes out his boomerang. Tossing it just the right way, he manages to knock several of them in the head and disorient them.

"Hana, do it now!"

Staff in hand, Larissa brings up a huge gust of air. Doing an air swipe, she blows the majority of their would-be captors so that they're somersaulting backwards. Having just enough room to run now, Larissa turns her staff into a glider and starts sprinting with it.

"Sokka, grab on tight!" she shouts.

Listening to his companion, he grasps the end of it tightly. With both of their weight straining the tiny object, they have trouble getting airborne at first. About five seconds later, however, they're soaring high in the sky. As they do this, they can hear one of the Fire Nation soldiers shouting below.

"What the gypsies say is true, sir. The girl really _is_ an airbender!"

The Fire Prince screams loudly. "Don't you think I've learned that, you fool?!"

The soldiers shoot several streams of fire in their direction to no prevail. Eventually as they continue onward they find themselves high over the woods.

"We really need to get back to Aang and Katara," Larissa says after a moment.

"I know," says Sokka. "Think Katara will be upset once she finds out what happened?"

* * *

"You two did _what_?!" Katara asks fuming.

"Didn't you hear them?" says Aang. "They stole from gypsies."

"Oh, I know. Trust me, I heard." The waterbender's sharp glare never leaves them.

Sokka and Larissa stare back at her. To be honest, this is actually going better than Larissa had expected.

"Katara, listen to me," states the blonde-haired girl. "I know that this does sound bad, but we did what we did for a reason."

"_Sounds_ bad? It **_is_** bad! Have you two gone nuts?! You just can't go around stealing from gypsies! Are you trying to get us all killed?!"

This time Sokka pleads with her. "Katara, we didn't steal just anything. Look."

He tosses her the scroll. Furiously, the waterbender unravels it. Only when she looks at it does her expression change from one of indignation to astonishment.

"An airbending scroll?!"

"Yup," Sokka replies with a smile. "Now Hana has something to learn from besides Aang. This way Aang can get some waterbending practice in and Hana can learn airbending."

"This is great!" Katara exclaims. Then she adds, "But still. You shouldn't have stolen from the gypsies. Even if it is crucial for Hana to learn airbending, this still puts all of us in danger."

Sokka sighs. "I know. I guess when we took it we didn't think it all the way through."

Larissa nods in agreement, a pang of guilt rising up her gut. Really, she truly does regret talking Sokka into the illegal action. The more she thinks about it the more she realizes that the safety of the group actually could be in jeopardy.

"Actually, it's more my fault than Sokka's," Larissa confesses. "If it hadn't been for me it never would've been stolen in the first place. I really am sorry."

Then, at long last, the little Air Nomad speaks out. "We forgive you, Hana. Besides. What's done is done. We have it, so we might as well use it."

Her face brightens slightly at Aang's words. "True. So…will you help teach me the air blade?"

* * *

Later That Same Evening

Larissa has spent all afternoon and most of the evening practicing. After a while Aang went back to Katara and felt the need to practice more waterbending. Even then Larissa decided to keep practicing on her own. Right now, in a clearing in the middle of the woods, she is still trying to get it. At first her soul purpose was on learning the air blade, but then she switched to another that Katara told her was titled the air vortex. Somewhere throughout the day it actually did get spread to Aang and Katara that she can't read. Luckily, they reacted the same way that Sokka did. It's a simple fix, they said. They're going to teach her.

Grinning, Larissa feels thankful for how understanding they all are of that. Back in her own world if someone didn't know how to read they would fry them. Not that Larissa can't read back in Chicago. When it comes to English writing she is perfectly fine. The little Chinese symbols with the dashes that they use here, however, she can't read in the slightest. It is now that Larissa wonders if it will actually be as easy as simply "teaching her". Shrugging the thought away the girl glances back down at the scroll. The air vortex. Hopefully this one comes easier than the air blade. She can form a large gust of air with her staff, but she can't get it thin enough to cut trees or rocks like it's supposed to. Instead all that it does is blow at them to death.

Taking a deep breath, Larissa decides to ditch the air vortex and try the air blade one last time. Before moving her staff a single inch she runs Aang's advice through her head one more time. Don't move too stiffly; airbending requires moving weightlessly and with ease, like a leaf in the wind. Also, shift your weight through the stances in order to be sure that your movements aren't too heavy. Then, finally, focus. The air blade is a high-level airbending move that requires intense concentration. All of these thoughts in mind Larissa takes her staff and cuts downward through the air. Then, just like always, it happens. Instead of a blade all she gets is a huge gust of wind that blows half of the leaves off the trees.

More irritated than before, Larissa drops her staff at her feet and shouts to the sky. "Gah! All I'm getting is wind! Why can't I get this stupid move?!"

"It's like Aang said. Those are moves for extremely advanced airbenders. Before you learn those you have to learn the basics."

Startled, she whips around to the sight of the Water Tribe boy sitting on a log.

"Sokka!" she exclaims. "You scared me. How long have you been watching?"

He shrugs. "Long enough. Waterbending was getting boring so I thought I'd come to watch you instead."

Picking up her staff, Larissa walks over to the downed tree and takes a seat beside him. "Well, there's not too much to watch. I think I'm going to have to take a break from airbending for a while."

Sokka smiles. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Hana arches her brow critically. "Why?"

The boy sporting the warrior's-wolf-tail takes out a sheet of creamy white paper, a brush, and an inkwell at her question. "Seeing as I've got some spare time on my hands, I thought I'd give you your first lesson."

Larissa beams at him. "Wow. When you said that you'd teach me how to read you weren't kidding around."

"Of course I wasn't. Now let us begin my young pupil."

Removing the cap from the inkwell, he dips the brush inside. A second later he runs it across the sheet of paper, creating several surprisingly simple characters. Curiously she gazes at him.

"What's that?"

"Your name:_'Hana'_."

"Oh. It looks different than I thought."

Smile never leaving, he holds out the brush to her. "Now it's your turn. Write your name."

She takes the object from him without hesitation.

* * *

"Your characters are looking pretty good, Hana," says Sokka. "Tomorrow I'll have to borrow a scroll or two from Katara and teach you some other words."

Larissa grins. "Thanks, Sokka. I really appreciate your help."

"Don't mention it. I'm happy to give it."

For a moment they simply sit there smiling at each other. The sun setting, the forest is starting to turn the colors of black and charcoal gray. It takes the two a long time to notice this. Or maybe they do notice but they simply don't feel like moving. Really, not even Larissa and Sokka themselves knows.

"You know," Sokka points out at last, "we really should be heading back."

"Yeah, we should," the girl reluctantly agrees.

The two stand up and head for the woods in order to find their way back to Aang and Katara. That, however, is when a very familiar voice is heard.

"Where do you two love birds think you're going?"

Startled, Sokka and Larissa stop dead in their tracks. Surrounding them on every side are Prince Zuko and his firebenders, alongside Uncle Iroh and some lethal-looking gypsies. Staff in hand, Larissa is preparing to put it to good use. Although, before she even has a chance to put her thoughts into action, they're being jumped and bound up tightly with ropes.

* * *

Zuko's golden eyes glow venomously in the moonlight as he paces back and forth. Larissa and Sokka were taken far away from their original spot, now being tied to a tree beside the river. Getting closer to the duo of scroll thieves, the Fire Prince makes a demand. Larissa has never noticed it before, but occasionally it seems like Zuko has something against personal space. Even so, this is only when he's trying to be threatening.

"Tell me where he is."

"Never!" Larissa and Sokka spit back in an unintentional unison.

Knowing already that he won't get anything out of Larissa, the scarred adolescent tries his luck on Sokka.

"What about you?" Zuko asks. "If you tell me where the Avatar is then I'll let you and your sister, Katara, go in peace. The Avatar and this other airbender can come back to the Fire Nation with me. I get to restore my honor and everyone goes home happy."

Furious at the suggestion, Sokka shouts to the top of his lungs. "Never, you Fire Nation slime!"

Zuko simply nods. "Fine. Have it your way." To the gypsies he commands, "Search the woods for the Avatar and the waterbender and meet back here."

The gypsies do as they've been ordered and disperse into the forest. Meanwhile Zuko stomps off and goes in the direction of his boat which can be seen sitting just off the shore.

"Uncle," says the angry boy with the flowing ponytail, "Watch them. Whatever you do, do _not_ let them escape."

Iroh gives a half-hearted nod. "Yes nephew. I will watch them closely."

Needing no more proof than that he continues marching in the said direction. The other Fire Nation soldiers are still seen milling around as well as several gypsies. Although, the only two people within earshot of Larissa would be Sokka and Uncle Iroh. It is here that a plan forms in her mind. A plan that, in reality, has been forming in the back of her mind for a while now. Smiling internally, she whispers loud enough for only Sokka to hear.

"Pssst. Sokka," she asks. "Can you move your arms?"

At that question he shoots her a look making it seem as though she'd just asked him if he'd like to braid Appa's hair.

"That's not what I mean," Larissa clarifies. "Can you move your arms enough to reach into my pocket?"

"I'm not sure," Sokka replies at last. "I think so. Why?"

"There's no time to explain. Just do it and hand whatever you find to me."

The Water Tribe boy complies with her request without another question. About ten seconds later, with a bit of effort, Sokka pulls out a tiny little object. Doing his best to place it in the palm of her hand, he eyes the airbender more strangely than before.

"The lotus tile the gypsies gave you?"

Larissa nods. "You'll understand in a minute. Just follow my lead."

Trying to decide the best way to go about doing this, Larissa observes the nearly elderly man by use of her peripheral vision. Leaning against the trunk of a tree, Iroh appears bored out of his mind. This fact alone tells the girl that this is the perfect time to strike. Then again for all she knows this could be the only time to strike. The Pai Sho tile gripped tightly, she turns so that Iroh is in her frontal vision.

Putting on her sweetest voice, Larissa speaks. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but are you _actually_ General Iroh?"

Surprised, Iroh looks at her. Then he smiles "Yes. I am."

"Really? Then I must say it is an honor to meet you, sir. I never thought that I'd get to meet the famous _Dragon of the West_ in the flesh."

At this Iroh lets out a hearty laugh. "Oh, how very sweet. It's always nice to meet an admirer."

The girl cheers internally. Her plan is working already. Knowing what else needs to be done, she lays it on thicker. "I've heard so much about you! It's not too many that are able to lay siege to Ba Sing Se for six-hundred days."

The man's smile never falters. "It's nice to see someone who understands the positive side of the whole event. While it wasn't the great victory I was hoping for, I am happy to say that my men as well as I tried our best. In the end the city simply would not yield."

Larissa nods, genuinely fascinated by his words. "You truly are as kind and humble as I've heard. Is it also true that you enjoy tea and Pai Sho now that you've retired? If so, I think that it's a very interesting pastime."

"Ah, yes, that is very true. I think it important to enjoy the little things that life has to offer."

"That's a wonderful piece of advice," Larissa agrees.

"Indeed," states Iroh. "Today in fact I was trying to enjoy myself with one of life's small pleasures. It was simply the fact that I lost my lotus tile that prevented me from doing so. That was actually the entire reason we showed up at the marketplace. Of course it was to no prevail."

"What do you mean?" the pale-faced girl asks. "Didn't you find one?"

"You mean a lotus tile? Oh no! There wasn't a single one in the entire marketplace."

It's here and now that Larissa can't help but smile. Next to her Sokka also grins, finally understanding. Like before, Larissa makes sure the innocence hasn't left her voice.

"General Iroh, my intent isn't to sound crafty, but I think that I could be of some assistance."

Iroh raises his brow. "And how might you be able to help me with this problem?"

Holding up her arm the best she can against her binds, she produces just the thing he's been searching for. "I found it when Sokka and I were out shopping earlier. It looked interesting, so I guess I bought it."

Astonished by this new information the tea-loving man's grin stretches from one ear to the other. "You actually _have_ a lotus tile?!"

This time, unsurprisingly, Sokka speaks. "Yes, and it can be yours if you untie us."

* * *

Hanging onto Hana's glider, they're forced to fly over the woods in search of their friends for the second time that night. The only difference is that this time there was no fighting and no battling. Sokka is still in disbelief that Prince Zuko's uncle untied them and let them go for a Pai Sho tile!

Unable to take much more, Sokka addresses the airbending girl. "Okay, I'm dying to know how you knew Zuko's uncle lost his lotus tile. Furthermore, how'd you know that he'd be willing to untie us?"

Chuckling, the girl gives a very cryptic answer. "Let's just call it luck and preconceived knowledge."

The Water Tribe boy is about to inquire further when he hears a loud "gurrr" off in the distance. Looking up and slightly to his right, that is when he spots Appa.

"Well," says Hana. "I guess that's more luck. It looks like our ride's here."

Gliding in the direction of the giant fluffy monster, Hana picks up the pace until landing them safely in his saddle. Before they even have time to think, Katara practically hugs them to death.

"Oh, thank goodness we've found you!" the waterbender exclaims. "We were afraid that you got caught by Zuko or something!"

Exchanging glances, the duo suddenly starts to laugh. Why, Sokka doesn't know. It wasn't funny before, but now the whole thing suddenly seems hilarious! They laugh so hard that they practically keel over, causing both Aang and Katara to stare at them oddly. Then, three seconds later, something else happens. Far away down beside the river they see what seems to be a passionate and radiant explosion of fire. Only this isn't normal fire. Because echoing through the air is the sound of a loud and booming **"GAAAHHH!"**

Hana and Sokka pause for a second to watch the sight. Once it ends their guffaws are even harder than before.

"Oh…my…!" says Hana between chuckles. "Think that was Zuko?"

"Definitely," Sokka replies equally amused. "There's no way it wasn't."

Aang and Katara exchange bewildered glances. Then, after what seems like decades, Hana and Sokka begin explaining at last.

* * *

That Very Same Moment

**"****GAAAHHH!"**

Iroh waits patiently for his nephew's fits of rage to end before going up to him. If anything is capable of cheering him up right now then this possibly might.

Iroh chuckles under the light of the moon. "Prince Zuko, you are really going to get a kick out of this. The original lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time! Now I have _two_ lotus tiles!"

Zuko's frame shaking in fury, he takes both tiles from his uncle's hands. The first he tosses into the river so that it skips five times before sinking. The second he sets on fire, burning it to a crisp. Once it's been charred to bits he throws it on the ground and stops on it angrily. The sixteen-year-old prince screams the entire time.

_"__Huh,"_ Iroh says to himself. _"Perhaps that did not cheer him up after all…"_

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, originally I had this super-duper action-packed ending planned out, but while I was writing it this other idea came to me. I know that the whole idea of Iroh untying Sokka and Larissa for a lotus tile seems a bit far-fetched, but in the end I just couldn't resist! It sounded so funny inside my head! Plus, after the drama of the previous two chapters, I thought it would be a good idea to take it down a notch. So tell me what you think. I'm eager to hear your thoughts. How was the chapter? Review! :)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Okay guys, welcome to the ATLA episode "Jet". Do you know what this means? We are officially halfway through season one! Yay! Break out the applause, confetti, noise makers, and all of that good stuff! Wow, we're getting far along in the story! That alone is making me excited! Guess what else? I don't start college until September 30, so that means I have all of this time to dedicate to writing this fanfic! Once I start college, however, there will probably be ten weeks with a lot less frequent updates. After ten weeks, however, I have a one month vacation so that's good. Well, that's enough of that. Enjoy the chapter! Again, we're at the halfway point! Whoo! :P**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Five Days Later

"_The…trees…grow…in the…forest_. Did I read that right, Katara?"

The braided girl smiles at her friend. "Yes," she replies. "You read it perfectly. Sokka's right. You have been learning fast."

Larissa smiles at the compliment. Believe it or not, learning how to read their writing has been surprisingly unchallenging. While there are definitely characters that she absolutely does not know yet, she is still able to read simpler words. In fact they went into town just yesterday and Larissa found that she was able to decipher a good majority of the signs. With the words that she couldn't identify she simply went to Sokka, Katara, or Aang for the translation. It was actually during their couple trips into nearby villages that Larissa learned several new words. After taking a semester of Japanese her freshman year she thought that learning this would be impossible. Then again, it only proves what the teacher said to be true. The only way to truly master something is to put it into constant use.

Looking up, the blonde-haired girl notices as Katara takes the brush and creates another sentence. "Okay, Hana," she says. "Now try reading this one."

Gazing down at the milky white parchment she cleverly observes the characters. Like the last sentence it takes several long moments, but at last it comes to her. "_The…bird….flies…through the…sky_. Is that it?"

The waterbender's eyes light up. "Yes. That was excellent!"

The airbender can't help but feel happy at her accomplishments. Nonetheless, two hours straight of writing and deciphering sentences leaves her brain aching from overuse. Rubbing her temples, she looks to her dark-skinned friend.

"Katara, I'm glad that I'm starting to catch on, but I'm starting to get a headache. Is it okay we quit for today? I still have airbending to practice."

The other girl smiles happily. "Yeah, we can be done. I'm starting to run out of ideas for sentences anyway."

Picking up their things, the girls head for the camp where they see Sokka roasting their dinner. Surprisingly, it happens to be a small hog. Or what used to be one. One very apparent fact that has been very largely ignored by Larissa, due to everything else that has been happening, would be the increase in Sokka's hunting abilities. That piece of advice that she gave him over a month ago back in the South Pole hasn't been forgotten after all.

"Hi, Sokka," says Katara. "I see you made dinner."

"Sure have. And all it took was my machete and my trusty boomerang!" the pony-tailed boy exclaims proudly.

Scanning the area, the female airbender suddenly notices that someone is missing. Right before airbending practice, too? That isn't like him. Curious, she voices her thoughts.

"Hey, where's Aang at? I was supposed to get another airbending lesson."

Sokka and Katara exchange glances, smiling happily at something unknown to the pale-faced girl.

"What?" Larissa asks. "Is it something I said?"

"No," Katara replies, "it's just that…the three of us have been planning a surprise for you."

This new information astounds her. "A surprise?"

"Yeah," says Sokka. "Don't be too judgmental, though. We actually started making it before finding out that you're the Intatar. We thought that the Air Nation was your original heritage."

"Okay," states Larissa in bewilderment. "So what did you get me?"

"Aang," Katara calls. "You can come out."

The little monk emerges from the tent behind her holding an armful of yellow and orange fabric. Appearing slightly nervous, Katara rushes over and takes one of the articles from him. Holding it up, Larissa identifies it as a long tunic-style garment that flows all the way down to one's feet. The sleeves are yellow and extend past the elbows while the rest of the fabric is orange and wraps around it delicately. Normally Larissa wouldn't be fond of clothes like this, but these outfits specifically look kind of nice. Slightly confused, she looks to her friends for a more specific answer.

"These are the original clothes worn by the female Air Nomads at the Eastern Air Temple," Aang says as if reading her mind. "When I first found out you could airbend I thought that your original heritage probably went back to the Air Temples. I didn't know that you were the Intatar and will eventually be learning a second element, so…sorry."

"Aang knew the design and I know how to sew, so we kind of worked together on it," Katara adds. "I know that you probably aren't an Air Nomad specifically, but I hope that you like our gift anyway."

Flattered, Larissa walks over and takes the new clothes from them. "Like it? I love it! It was so thoughtful of you guys! Besides, since airbending is the first element I'm learning I really could have Air Nation ancestry. Air in a way _is_ my original element."

The Avatar beams at her words. "You really mean that?!"

"Of course I do," Larissa replies sincerely. Five different copies of the same outfit in her arms, she moves toward the tent. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go change."

* * *

Two Days Later

"I mean it. _No_ flying this time."

Hana, Katara, and Aang stare at the pony-tailed boy as though he were a mental case. They stand in the middle of the forest, a canopy of red shining above them. With the time of day nearing mid-morning the group knows that it's time to leave. After discovering Fire Nation traps, one of which had snatched up Momo, the need to leave can be felt even more deeply than before. This time, however, Sokka wants to depart in a much safer fashion.

Katara gapes. "What?"

"Why wouldn't we fly?" inquires the little monk.

Irritated, Sokka groans. He knew he'd be forced to argue this out long before he'd even broached the subject. Why can't people simply trust him at his word?

"Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa. He's just too noticeable."

"What!" Katara states in befuddlement. "Appa's not too noticeable!"

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head! It's kind of hard to miss him."

Aang now sitting atop his bison speaks to the creature. "Sokka's just jealous because he doesn't have an arrow."

"I know you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe this time and walk."

Judging by the look his sister gives, he's about ready to be faced with protest. However, before Katara can utter a word, Hana steps forward adorned by her airbender robes. While she looks nice in them and they fit her well he's struggling to get used to them. When wearing the orange and yellow garments Hana looks like a true airbender. Despite the fact that he's still not used to it, Sokka likes it nonetheless. At last the teenager speaks.

"Guys, no offense, but I think Sokka's instincts are right," the pale-faced girl states.

The Water Tribe boy arches a brow at the statement feeling pleasantly surprised. At last someone understands! His sister and the Air Nomad look surprised as well. The two exchange glances before looking back at Hana.

"How can you say that?" asks Katara. "Flying is so much more…efficient."

The girl simply shrugs. "That's true in theory, but in the end Sokka's right. Just think about it. When riding on Appa's we probably look like a giant flying target. I really feel like walking is the way to go."

Aang looks at the blue-clad Tribal boy and at Hana before peeking over at Katara. "They might be onto something, Katara. Who knows? Walking might be fun."

The braided girl gives a small smile before nodding. "Okay. True enough. Maybe walking actually could be fun."

* * *

Larissa never realized how foreign the idea of walking has become until now. Back in Chicago she used to walk everywhere. School, work, the grocery store, errands, home, anywhere that can be named in her neighborhood she walked there; except for those rare occasions when Macy would let her take the limo. Now, however, using her legs for hours on end feels so strange. Larissa had never known before this how much she adores Appa.

"Walking stinks!" Aang exclaims from somewhere behind her. "How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?"

Larissa chuckles. "Come on, Aang. This isn't so bad. Before joining the group I used to spend hours at a time walking to get where I needed to go."

Glancing back at him, Larissa notes as his gray eyes widen. "_Hours_? Why would you do that to yourself? Walking is terrible!"

Feeling amused, she gives a typical shrug. "Hey, it's not like I had a choice. Back at the…orphanage…there were only two options: Walk to get there or don't get there at all."

As if thinking of some wonderfully clever observation, Katara smirks. "Oh yeah? Well you have it a lot better now, Hana. Recently, it just occurred to me that we have three options for transportation."

Having not the slightest idea about what Katara could be getting at, she plays along. "_Three_ options? Whatever could they be?"

"Well," says the waterbender, "we have flying on Appa, we have walking, and we also have _Sokka's instincts_!"

Larissa rolls her eyes playfully. She should've seen that one coming. Glancing over at the lanky adolescent, she notices as he grimaces in exasperation.

"Ha funny."

"I'm tired of carrying this pack," Aang says simply.

Katara's smile never leaves. "You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? _Sokka's instincts_!"

Larissa inwardly giggles, yet refuses to take part in this.

"That a great idea!" Aang exclaims joyfully. "Hey, Sokka's instincts, would you mind—"

Annoyance doubling, Sokka speaks to them as he goes to part the branches of a bush. "Okay, okay—I get it. Look guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe—…from the…Fire…Nation."

Suddenly, for the first time in days, something occurs to Larissa. Looking around at the encampment of gaping Fire Nation soldiers, crimson uniforms and all, the reality of the episode slaps her in the face. It should have occurred to her what episode they were reaching days ago. With all of the reading lessons, airbending lessons, and adjusting to her new wardrobe it just never seemed to click into place. Now, even as the four of them are standing there staring back at the men, it still doesn't have time to sink in. Everything happens much too fast.

"Run!"

Listening to Sokka's command, the children move to sprint away from the encampment. When the bushes behind them are set aflame, however, their way of escape is blocked off completely. The Water Tribe boy's shirt manages to catch fire as well. Somehow he doesn't perceive this at all.

Noticing this, the blonde-haired girl shouts in panic. "Sokka, your shirt!"

Sokka barely has time to notice as Katara puts it out with a splash of liquid from her pouch. Meanwhile, with the bushes glowing fiery orange behind them and with the Fire Nation soldiers surrounding them, they find that they can hardly move an inch. Memory of this episode flooding through her brain, she recognizes Sokka's expected lines.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you."

"What are you doing?" Katara asks quietly.

"Bluffing?"

The man with the eye patch, apparently the Captain, laughs at the Water Tribe boy's words. "_You_ promise not to hurt _us_?"

It is at the Captain's statement that Larissa notices a quiet _zip_ and then a thud coming from not too far off in the distance. He looks surprised for a second before collapsing to the ground in a heap. Aang says something to Sokka but Larissa doesn't hear a word of it. Instead her focus is up in the trees, where she sees a figure pulling two hook-blades from the middle of his back. With his weapons held high, he steps straight down and catches one of the branches with the blade. Propelling himself in the direction of the camp, he knocks down two soldiers with a foot on each of their backs.

Having messy brown hair, twin hook swords, and the piece of straw being held between his teeth, Larissa notices that he's no different at all from the show. A second later the boy rushes forward with his twin hooks. Catching two soldiers by the ankles, he sends them head-over-heels. A millisecond later they land in a heap among their fallen brethren. Larissa visibly frowns as he gives his arrogant trademark smirk.

"Down you go."

* * *

Larissa makes sure to stay near Sokka as Jet and his Freedom Fighters rummage through the remains of the Fire Nation soldiers' campsite. While she doesn't like to admit it or think about it, she's been dreading this episode from day one. At the current point in time it is already understood that neither Katara nor Aang will understand her feelings, but the pale-faced girl takes comfort in the fact that Sokka most likely will. So, with this being said, what are her feelings exactly? The answer to that is very simple. Larissa absolutely _does not_ like Jet. From his original episode, to Ba Sing Se, to Lake Loagai, she cannot _stand_ Jet. Even if he does technically turn good many months from now it doesn't change her opinion in the slightest. Jet is nothing more than a vengeful is the very thing that ends up killing him.

These thoughts going through her head, she watches wearily as the said criminal reclines against the trunk of a tree. A second or two later her female friend walks up to him. Sokka stands beside her silently as they both watch the scene play out.

Katara, seeming entirely the enamored fangirl, begins showing her gratitude. "Um…thanks for saving us Jet. We were lucky you were there."

Jet doesn't outwardly show whether he notices Katara's captivation or not. Even so, Larissa is fairly certain that he does. "I should be thanking you," says the tree-house warrior. "We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction; and then you guys stumbled in."

The flatness of Katara's voice can probably be heard by her grandmother back in the South Pole. "We were relying on instincts," she says.

Jet's response is plain. "You'll get yourself killed doing that."

Out of the corner of her eye, Larissa sees as Sokka closes his eyes in frustration at the comment. To be bluntly honest, it's this very remark that started off her disliking for Jet in the show. Making Sokka come off like an idiot while he comes off as the good guy; typical. Upset by the entire length of the morning's events, Larissa follows Sokka as he stalks off somewhere. To her luck he doesn't go far. Once they've reached the edge of the camp and are away from Jet and his Freedom Fighters he stops and leans against a tree. Feeling the need to speak, orange-clad girl puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It isn't true, you know. Just because we had a stroke of bad luck doesn't mean that your instincts were wrong."

Smiling slightly, the pony-tailed boy peers up at her. "I'm happy to hear you say that. At least you're not over there caught in some trance."

The two gaze in Katara's direction before looking back at each other. Returning his smile, Larissa continues.

"Don't underestimate yourself. You made a good call with the whole _'walking'_ thing. Don't let what one person says get to you so much. Really, I was with you when you said we should play it safe and walk. Nobody could've predicted walking straight into a Fire Nation camp."

Truth be told, Larissa means what she says. Despite the unfortunate turn of events, she thought that it was a good decision. Even from Macy's living room as a child she thought that the idea was smart.

Sokka nods in agreement at the fifteen-year-old's words. "Really, I was just thinking that exact same thing. It's just that…because of my mistake…I'm getting a bad feeling is all."

Despite the fact that Larissa has already caught his drift, she asks anyway. "A bad feeling about what specifically?"

Narrowing his eyes in the spiky-haired teen's direction, Sokka whispers to his trusted friend. "Jet. It's hard to explain, but there's this strange feeling in my gut that he can't be trusted."

Larissa nibbles on her lower lip. "I know what you mean. I can't explain it any better than you, but I don't think Jet's any good."

Sokka eyes her curiously at this statement. "Do you really mean that or are you humoring me?"

The young woman doesn't realize it even in the slightest, but her blue irises shine in a way that knocks Sokka's breath right out of him. "I really do mean it, Sokka; Jet's bad news. Whether you know it or not, I trust your instincts with my life."

Sokka returns Larissa's previous gesture by placing a firm hand on her small shoulder. "Well, Hana, I hope you trust me when I say this; my instincts are telling me that this is going to be a long few days."

* * *

Later That Night

Tonight the light of the moon seems brighter than usual. Whether this is because it's almost full or because she's closer to it in general, Larissa doesn't know. Either way, however, this makes her happy. Because of the night's unusual brightness she is given plenty of light to write by. Inside the hut Katara, Aang, and Sokka slumber away, making the opportunity better than before. Sighing with relief, Larissa uncaps her pen and puts it to paper.

_Mom,_

_So much has happened since I first came to this dimension. I've told you almost everything already, but you probably wouldn't __believe me either way. Nonetheless, I'm currently feeling the need to tell you of my adventures in the Avatar world once again. With my being the Intatar, having to learn two elements, and attaining these supposed magical spirit abilities you're probably expecting news of that degree. I'm sorry to tell you that this isn't the case. If anything, I'd love to tell you that I magically discovered waterbending, earthbending, or even firebending, but unfortunately this isn't true as of yet. My eyes haven't started glowing purple with my spirit powers yet either. Of course, when this does happen, I will gladly tell you. I can't wait for it! Anyway, enough with my fantasies. Tonight I want to tell you about the newest person we've met; Jet. You know how when Macy and I were children we always talked about disliking him? Well, that hasn't changed. Not one bit. _

_At this point it's hard to explain, but I know that mine and Sokka's instincts are right. If anything, he's using the trust of Katara and Aang and of the Freedom Fighters to get what he wants. I haven't told Sokka or anyone this yet, but I know the gears are already turning for his plan to blow up the dam. I would love to go and tell Sokka this considering that our thoughts are the same, but we all know that I can't. If I do that then I'm giving away unexplainable information from the TV show. Then again, I suppose whether I tell or not doesn't matter. We'll figure it out and stop him eventually anyway. Right now my only goal is to stick close to Sokka and to try and convince Aang and Katara that he isn't trustworthy. Tonight at the victory banquet for example, he was using his charisma to try and gain our trust…_

Larissa pauses at this thought. What she says is very true. During the victory dinner and after his speech not only did he butter Sokka up with talk of needing him on an "important mission" but he was also using her position as the Intatar against her. He'd even started referring to her as _Intatar Hana_. Larissa chuckles at how he'd wanted to know if she could waterbend. When she said that she didn't know and that all her focus is currently on airbending disappointment was plain on his face. Or at least it was to her. Really the fact that her lack of waterbending makes her useless to Jet's mission makes her smile in delight. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, the pale-faced girl again puts her pen to the journal pages. Although, this little book really shouldn't be considered a journal. More or less, these should be considered letters home.

_Then again, mom, I am being pretty ridiculous aren't I? We'll be away from Jet and his messed up schemes soon enough. If anything, my worries should be about Zuko. His image has been sitting dormant at the back of my mind ever since the Fire Sage Temple. Is what Avatar Wan said true? If I don't get him to join Team Avatar before the fall of Ba Sing Se is he really going to die? ..._

Without warning, she feels as a silver tear trails down her cheek. Using the sleeve of her new robes, she wipes it away quickly before any potential lurkers have the slightest chance of verifying its existence. Once her tears are gone she continues.

_I'm so scared, mom! I've never had another person's life in my hands before! Just a week ago I had a chance to try and turn Zuko to our side and failed. I know that Sokka and I were captured by gypsies and that we were in trouble, but I still could've tried something; anything. Maybe I could have tried talking to Zuko while we were tied up. Maybe I could've had Sokka escape and gotten myself captured on purpose. He doesn't know that I'm the Intatar, so how dangerous could it have been, right? ...It's okay, mom. If you were here right now I know what you'd tell me. The past is in the past, so now the only solution is to look for other potential opportunities. To be honest, I've already taken your unspoken advice into consideration. If I don't want Zuko to die on the day of the solar eclipse I have to take fate into my own hands. Really, I've thought about it a lot for the past few nights before bed. An idea is already forming in my mind. I know when we're running into Zuko next, so I'm trying to plan my idea around that. My first thought, not to mention my only thought, is that I should—_

"Hi, Hana. Nice night for some moon gazing."

The sound of the eerily familiar male voice causes Larissa to jump. She caps her pen and hides it inside the folds of her robes along with her journal faster than she thought possible. Walking in her direction is just the person she didn't want to see. Sighing, she does her best to not appear rude. If she does this and word gets back to Katara Larissa knows the argument she'll be in for. The airbender pastes on a smile as she tries not to scowl in irritation.

"Hi, Jet. Yes. It is a good night for moon gazing."

Expression blank he looks down at her from above. "Mind if I sit down?"

"No, not at all." Larissa motions for him to take a seat.

Accepting the invitation, Jet plops down next to her and lets his legs dangle over the edge of the boardwalk. One thing Larissa notices is that he lacks the piece of grass that he always chews on. Really the sight is quite refreshing.

"So, what are you doing out and about this time of night?" she asks plainly.

His blank expression transforms into a smirk. "Strange. I've been meaning to ask you the same thing."

Larissa sighs internally at the question. "If you're digging for some type of filthy secret about me, you're not getting anything. Or do you simply enjoy bothering your moon gazing guests in the middle of the night?" she asks jestingly; or at least she makes it seem that way.

Jet simply shrugs. "No. I just saw that you were awake and I thought I'd join you. By the way, let me remind you that you did give me an invitation to sit down."

"I know," she replies flatly. "I can remember."

The boy gives a slight nod as he stares at her. They sit in silence for several moments, neither of them saying a word. At last Jet breaks this silence.

"I'm not a bad guy, you know. Ever since you've gotten here I feel like you and Sokka have been teaming up against me. Is there a reason for it?"

It's Larissa's turn to shrug. "It depends. Do you want the sugar-coated version or do you want me to be blunt?"

His brown eyes widen in shock at her words. "You're being blunt enough right now. I'd like you to stick with that."

At this point the airbending girl's sigh is no longer internal. "Look Jet, I mean nothing against you personally. It's just that…I have this bad gut feeling about you. Aang may love your way of life and Katara may worship the ground you walk on, but I know better. You're manipulative and scheming, and you're going to use them to your advantage. And it isn't just me saying this. Whether Sokka has voiced his opinion or not, he's thinking it too."

Jet lets out a long and slow chuckle at her words. "Of course. I should've known from the minute I saw you that you'd side with ponytail boy."

A slight anger wells up inside of her at the comment. "Don't you _dare_ underestimate Sokka! I'd trust his judgment with my life if I had to. Let's face facts, Jet. You're up to no good, and we both know it."

Again he laughs. "You think you know that, but you don't. At least Sokka is going with me on the mission tomorrow and giving me a chance. You're not willing to give me a chance at all. If this is the case, then which one of us is the real thug here?"

Indignation mingling with aggravation, Larissa buries her face in her palm. "Okay. It's obvious that you've come to ask me something. What is it?"

Seeming happy that she'd asked this question Jet answers without hesitation. "You know that mission I asked Sokka to come on tomorrow? I want you there too."

She arches her brows in surprise. "What? Why would you want me there?"

"Simple. An extra person could come in handy. So what do you say? Will you come?"

* * *

Two Days Later

Sokka observes Hana's tied-up form from the corner of his eye as they shuffle through the woods. Pipsqueak and Smellerbee follow closely behind as they guard their two prisoners. How things could have changed so drastically, the Water Tribe boy hasn't the slightest idea. Just yesterday afternoon they were on the supposed "mission" with Jet and now here they are bound up like a couple of animals. No matter; they will escape eventually, he's sure of it. Right now, however, Sokka runs the details of earlier events through his mind…

**_*flashback*_**

_ "__There's no getting past this, Hana. We have to tell Katara about Jet." _

_They'd just returned to the hideout, thoughts of Jet's cruel attack on the elderly man stirring within them. It was obvious to both of them at that point that there was no more chance of trusting the Freedom Fighter's leader. It was time to stand up to his baby sister and tell her exactly what she didn't want to hear. _

_He remembers exactly how Hana had cringed slightly at his words. "I know, Sokka," she'd replied. "I think that we need to tell her about this, too. It's just that… I don't think she'll listen. She has Jet painted up in her head as some kind of hero. Even with both of us telling her she'll still most likely go to Jet and get his side."_

And this, to Sokka's dismay, is exactly what his sister had done. Even after running the details past her several times she insisted on going to Jet and getting his version of the story.

_"__Let me get this straight— both of you told them what happened but neither one of you thought to mention that the guy was Fire Nation?"_

_He can easily recall the glare his sister had shot at him and his light-haired companion. "No, they conveniently left that part out." _

_ "__Fine!" said the tribal boy. "But even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian."_

_ "__No. He was an assassin."_

_At that point Jet pulled out a knife; a knife that he'd never seen before in his life. Later Sokka had learned that Hana had never seen it before either. Putting on his sweet hero act, he'd put his index finger through a ring at the end of the hilt and pulled out a long glass tube filled with red liquid._

_ "__See. There's a compartment for poison in the knife. He was sent to eliminate me. Hana, Sokka— you helped save my life."_

_Katara had smiled widely at this. "I knew there was an explanation!"_

_They'd both chosen that moment to speak in unison. Really the unintentional unison still surprises him. "There was no knife!" _

_Jet, of course, managed to cover up the truth once more. "That's because he was concealing it."_

_ "__See? I'm sure you guys just didn't notice the knife."_

_Both he and Hana had let out grunts of provocation. _

_ "__Katara, be reasonable!" said the airbending girl. "Neither of us saw any knife!"_

_The girl with the hair loopies simply continued smiling. "It's like Jet said. The man was hiding it."_

_Shaking her head, the pale-faced woman turned one-hundred and eighty degrees around and marched for the exit. "Whatever. I've had enough of this. I'm going to the hut and packing my things."_

_Sokka can specifically recollect giving a stiff nod. "I'm right behind you, Hana." _

Back at the hut the two had had a good long talk. Obviously neither Katara nor Aang were buying what they were saying, and this was causing irritation for both of them.

_"__I just don't know anymore, Sokka. If they won't believe us then I have no idea at all what to do."_

_Sokka, who had been folding up his shirts before that, walked over to where Hana was kneeling by her sleeping bag and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There's only one thing we can do now, and that's leave."_

_ "__Yeah, but knowing Jet I'm certain that he'll convince Katara and Aang that we need to stay. He might have some kind of trick up his sleeve, if you know what I mean."_

_Admittedly, Sokka had been slightly confused at her words. "Actually, no, I don't know what you mean. Why would Jet need us to stay?"_

_ "__Just think about it," the young Intatar had reasoned. "Last night at the celebration feast or whatever it was, he'd asked me if I was a waterbender. When I told him I didn't know he seemed really disappointed. Not only that, but he seemed real enthused when he'd learned that Katara and Aang posses this ability. I think he's planning something."_

_Hana's words had hit him somewhere deep. "You're right; this could be true. But that leaves us with one question. What could Jet possibly want waterbenders for?"_

A few hours later Sokka discovered that Hana truly had been correct. While he and Hana were busy packing up their belongings Jet was back in his own hut telling Aang and Katara about some supposed forest fires. Of course, Sokka knew that this was a lie; Jet was using this to cover up for something else. What this was exactly Sokka didn't know. Not until this morning that is.

_"__Hana, what are you doing? Go back to the hut. You shouldn't be here."_

_The predawn light reflected off of Hana's skin as the two trailed Jet and the Freedom Fighters from the forest beyond. A few minutes before that Sokka had heard them depart from the hideout and wanted to follow along. He hadn't realized that there was someone following him the entire time as well. When the pastel-haired fifteen-year-old had snuck up behind him and covered his mouth she'd nearly given him a heart attack! Of course his previous fear had been entirely forgotten at that point. All he was able to focus on was the determination in the adolescent's gaze. _

_ "__I'm not going back; not now. I'm seeing what Jet is up to whether you like it or not."_

_He'd groaned at the young woman's insane stubbornness. "Hana, you're being ridiculous. Go back to the hut and go to sleep. I'll handle this!" _

_ "__No way. You, my Water Tribe friend, are stuck with me." Without warning her gaze had shifted slightly behind him. "Now let's go! We're losing them."_

_It had taken several long moments, but they'd finally managed to trail Jet and his followers to the river nearby. Interestingly enough, they were standing directly beside the dam. Sokka and Hana watched all of this from the bushes. Once Jet began talking to his loyal followers where they were standing made all the sense in the world. _

_ "__Now listen— you are not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."_

_ "__But what about the people in the town?" A little boy, the Duke, had asked. "Won't they get wiped out too?"_

_ "__Look Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation." To Longshot he'd said, "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal— got it?"_

_Surprised at the talk they were hearing, Sokka and Hana had exchanged glances. Finally having some more proof, they readied themselves to return to the hideout. That, however, is when they were discovered. Grabbing Sokka by his ponytail and Hana by the forearm, Pipsqueak had lifted them directly out of their hiding spot. And then— Well… the rest can pretty much be guessed. _

**_*end flashback*_**

At long last, Sokka comes out of his thoughts. Hana continues walking silently beside him bound up by ropes just as before. She looks neither frightened nor scared in any way, shape, or form. Then again, this doesn't come as a surprise. Over the course of their short time together it has come to his attention that Hana isn't exactly the fearful damsel-in-distress type of gal. Detecting his eyes on her, the girl looks over at him. Noting the unfortunate situation they're in she gives an awkward half-smile and an apologetic shrug. Sokka smiles back in attempt to let her know that everything is okay. Or at least that it soon will be.

A less-than-gentle shove to his back takes his mind off of the person next to him. This hand, he realizes, belongs to none other than Smellerbee.

"Come on! Move along!" He—…she… commands with authority.

Sokka begins protesting. "How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?"

Pipsqueak, sounding offended by the pony-tailed boy's remark, defends their leader. "Hey! Listen, Sokka, Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says, and things always turn out okay."

Not knowing what else to do, Sokka scans the area. An instant passes and he notices several piles of leaves lying on the forest floor. With leeche nuts sprinkled atop them, they're perfectly identical to that trap that snatched up Momo a few days ago. Nudging at Hana with his head, he catches her attention. Not even a second passes before she sees it as well. A plan formulating, the two smile devilishly at one another.

"If that's the way Jet leads," says the tribal boy, "then he's got a lot to learn."

Knowing exactly what to do, he sprints in the direction of the snares. As if reading his mind, Hana does the same. Lucky for them Pipsqueak and Smellerbee are unable to catch them and being running after them in pursuit.

"Hey!" Smellerbee shouts.

Two seconds is all it takes for the duo of Freedom Fighters to get caught by the high-quality traps. Sokka's and Hana's binding fall from around their wrists'.

"While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot-work," the boy comments with his previous bindings in hand.

Hana laughs joyfully from next to him. "Come on, Sokka. Let's get out of here!"

Weaving their way in between the beautiful red-leaved trees, they do just that.

* * *

Fifteen long minutes is what it takes to reach the Earth Kingdom town. It hardly even showed a glimpse of it in the episode _"Jet"_ so Larissa isn't entirely sure what to expect. When walking through the gates she and Sokka were pleased to see a quaint little town much like that of Haru's. Or, better yet, like Aunt Wu's village. Of course, considering that they haven't actually been there yet Larissa is unsure whether or not she should be comparing. Either way this town is a small one. The time of day being somewhere near late afternoon or early evening, the streets are brimming with civilians and Fire Nation soldiers alike.

Sokka she notices is looking at the crowd of people in awe. "Wow," he says simply. "Look at them all."

Larissa instantly understands his meaning. "I know," she replies. "An entire village of people and their lives are in our hands."

A moment is all it takes for the blue-clad boy to come out of his trance. "Okay, so we're here. What now? Do we just go up to a random soldier and tell them that some psycho maniac is going to blow up their dam?"

Uncertain of what to do herself, Larissa shrugs nonchalantly. "I guess so. What else can we do?"

Their course of action decided, they search the crowd for soldiers. A second later Larissa spots one. Not just any random soldier, but an official looking one wearing a long red cape and a fancy uniform. Nudging Sokka, she points him out.

"Him," she says. "He's the one we're after."

Nodding in agreement, the two blue-eyed teens work their way through the crowd. To their convenience the soldier stands dormant by a shop conversing with an Earth Kingdom commoner. Not having to chase him down frantically makes their lives just that much easier.

Upon reaching him the girl is the first to speak. "Excuse me, sir, but we need to talk to you concerning the safety of this town. You and these villagers are in terrible danger!"

The Fire Nation soldier and the commoner look at each other before glancing back at her and Sokka oddly. Not understanding what's happening, the red-clad man speaks to his companion.

"I'm sorry, Chin Li. We'll pick up where we left off later."

The Earth Kingdom man nods. "Right then. Talk to you soon."

He gives Chin Li a pleasant smile as he departs and then turns his attention to the duo. "Alright, what is it you kids want? I don't do pranks, so you'd better not attempt anything."

"Sir, this isn't a prank," says Sokka. "Your life and all the lives of these people are in danger. Within the next couple hours there is a boy who is going to blow up the dam!"

"You need to get the townspeople and evacuate right now!" Larissa adds hastily.

The terrified rants' of the teens draws a small crowd of civilians mingled with soldiers. Meanwhile the man they've been talking to gives a response.

"What proof do you have of this ridiculous story? I already warned you once about messing with a high-ranking officer."

"Yes, and we understand that," Larissa states, "but we aren't two kids out looking for trouble. There _is_ a boy who has the means to blow up the dam, and he _will_ destroy this town!"

"Alright, then tell me. Why in the name of Ozai would he want to do that?"

"Why else?!" Sokka exclaims. "To wipe out the Fire Nation troops! That's exactly why you and your men need to gather up the villagers and get out of here!"

The officer's harsh gaze softens slightly as he considers their words. However, this doesn't last long, because one of the lower-ranking soldiers shouts to him from the crowd.

"Don't listen to them, sir! They could be Earth Kingdom spies sent here from Omashu!"

Sokka's gait droops at the comment as does Larissa's. Great. This is just fantastic. Turning slightly so that the crowd is in view, Larissa sees as various other red-clad men chant in agreement. Back straightening, the Water Tribe boy again speaks to the man.

"Spies? Oh come on! We're not from Omashu and we're not spies!"

"All we're trying to do is help you!"

"Sure," says another soldier from among the throng. "Spoken like true spies!"

"We should have them arrested!" shouts another.

The rest of them call out in agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Do it!"

"Lock them up!"

Eventually all of their words blur together into a jumble of muttered phrases. The young warrior and the Intatar do their best to settle them down and convince them, but this is to no prevail. Then, at last, something wonderful happens.

"Wait! Don't arrest them!"

This was by no means a loud yell, but it silenced everybody nonetheless. At first nobody knows who or where the declaration came from, but then the person continues their pleas. Unsurprising to Larissa, this person just so happens to be the elderly man Jet had attacked in the forest yesterday afternoon. Emerging from the gathering, he joins the Fire Nation officer on the sidewalk.

"Whatever you do, please do not arrest them. Show them mercy. These are the same children that saved my life when I was beaten and robbed yesterday."

Shock covers the officer's face. "Them? These two here?"

"Yes, sir, they're exactly the same." Averting his gaze from the soldier, he now faces Sokka and Larissa. "You say that there's a boy who's looking to blow up the dam. This wouldn't happen to be the boy with the hook swords who chews on the grass?"

Larissa sees as Sokka's blue irises gleam with relief. Quite frankly, she knows that hers do this as well.

"Yes!" the pale-faced girl exclaims. "You described him perfectly! That's Jet!"

Due to the scene playing out before them, it's apparent that nobody wants to arrest them anymore. Happy that they're finally getting somewhere, the children continue pushing.

"Okay, now that that's been settled, we need to evacuate now! Jet could blow the dam at any minutes, and we're right in the line of fire!"

Eyeing them both, the officer sighs.

"Sokka's right," Larissa confirms. "We need to go!"

The Fire Nation soldier looks them both in the eye, concern showing plainly. "Look," he says, "I know we need to get the citizens to safety, but…we can't. Not yet, anyway."

Surprised by this, they stare at him blankly. At last Sokka breaks the silence.

"We can't? What do you mean we can't?! These people are in danger!"

He sighs once more. "I want to get everyone out of the town too, but we can't. Not until getting permission from one other person."

Larissa arches her brow critically at the odd new fact. "Permission from who?"

* * *

With the soldier and the old man to guide them, the two have made it all the way back behind the village to a small cabin in the middle of the woods. The four stand in the center of a little room observing the surrounding area oddly.

Leaning in closely to Larissa, Sokka whispers in her ear. "Whoever this guy is, he must be nuts. Stick close to me and we'll run if we have to."

Gulping, Larissa nods as she observes the room once more. Lining the walls are endless rows of shelves. On them are various assortments of plants, vials, and scrolls. They don't look as if they're separated into categories of any kind. If anything, it all looks random and haphazardly. Below the shelves are multiple baskets both large and small. When studied more closely they are seen to contain odd things such as boar-q-pine quills, eel hound scales, sea-raven feathers, brightly colored powders and seeds, the bones of animals, they contain everything imaginable. Then, toward the center of the floor is a fire pit. Surrounding it are pillows and many multiple potted plants.

A moment later a man looking to be in his mid to late forties bustles out of a back room that none of them had noticed. Dressed in odd lime green and violet robes, having a long wispy beard, and wearing carved wooden beads around his neck, this strange man looks just like his house. Carrying an armload of scrolls and liquid-filled vials, he tosses them randomly onto a shelf and walks across the room to greet them.

Stroking his beard, he gives a polite smile. "Greetings, my spiritual brethren. What can I do for you this afternoon?"

The closer he gets to them the closer Sokka gets to his light-haired companion. At one point he even hooks his arm around the girl's waist and keeps it there. Honestly, Larissa doesn't mind it in the least. If anything, it actually helps her feel more comfortable. Having no idea at all why they're here, she and the tribal boy turn to look at the men behind them.

The elderly man gives a sigh of aggravation. "Enough of this spiritual nonsense, Heng. We're not here for anything like that."

"These kids say that there's a young man that's ready to blow up the dam, and we need you to convince the villagers to leave," the Fire Nation officer finishes.

An unknown emotion fills the strange man's eyes. Smiling, he seats himself on one of the pillows surrounding the fire pit. "My brothers, what makes you think that I can do anything to help? I cannot get them to leave whether this town is in danger or not. They must listen to the spirits and let them guide. For I am not the guide, I am simply the helper."

Looking aggravated, the old man slaps himself in the forehead. "Heng, don't you understand? The village is in danger! _We're_ in danger!"

His arm never leaving its protective place from around Larissa's waist, Sokka speaks to their companions. "Okay, will someone please explains what's going on? Who _is_ this creep?!"

As if suddenly remembering their presence there, the officer introduces him. "I'm sorry. Sokka, Hana, this is this town's fortune telling and spiritual expert, Heng. He's very important to the townspeople. They never make a move without consulting him first."

Still looking as confused as ever, the Water Tribe boy speaks once more. "What? Why?!"

Before either the soldier or the old man can answer, Heng starts to laugh. Completely stooped in befuddlement, the two adolescents stare. The officer and the elder, however, just go with it as if it's completely normal.

"Don't ask why, little brother. If the people want to follow, then let them follow. It's the universe's decision and not our own."

Sokka lets out an aggravated grunt. "First of all, I have absolutely **_no_** idea what you're talking about. Second, whatever it is they want you to do, do it. We have some maniac that's about ready to blow up the dam! If you don't convince them to leave, then everyone will die!"

At this point, Heng starts to laugh again. While Larissa isn't entirely sure how Sokka feels, she knows how she feels. She is feeling seriously creeped out by this guy, and very annoyed by his laughter.

"I don't get it," says the pale-faced girl. "What's so funny?!"

"You are," he says. "All of you. You honestly think that the spirits will let everyone die. Admittedly, this normally would be a concern. However, with this little light-haired spirit sister right here around, nobody should be afraid at all."

The reference made to her making her nervous, Larissa pulls even closer to Sokka. "What are you talking about? What could _I_ possibly have to do with this?!"

Unexpectedly, the man shoots up from his place sitting on the floor and runs over to his shelves. As if having some sort of epiphany, Heng begins grabbing multiple scrolls from various spots. Rushing back over to a bare area in front of the fire pit, he begins spreading them out in some sort of frantic excitement.

"You, little lady, have a lot of spiritual energy twisted up in your soul. For normal people with a lot of energy, their color is yellow or orange. You, however, contain pure cosmic unrefined spiritual power. There's so much of it lying dormant inside you, that your color is pure white. If any other human on earth had your color they wouldn't be able to survive. You, little spirit sister, have some type of power; almost like a spiritual bridge."

Suddenly, like a bolt, what he's saying clicks. Oddly enough the realization only adds to her aggravation. "Of course I have pure white energy. I'm the Intatar! That doesn't mean that I know how to use my abilities!"

The strange hippy's hands leave the scrolls at her words and he stares up at her in awe. "So _you're_ the Intatar. I knew it was true. Just over a month ago I sensed this strange shift in the world's energy. It was you, wasn't it? You're powers were awakening!"

Irritated, Sokka slaps himself in the forehead with his free hand. "Gah! Enough of this! Even if Hana is the Intatar, she hasn't been trained to use her powers. Because of this you need to go get the villagers to leave and you need to do it now before everyone drowns."

Stroking his beard once more, Heng looks as though he's pondering something important. At last he says, "Okay, fine. I'll go and tell the villagers to evacuate under one condition."

Before Sokka gets the chance to reply, Larissa does so instead. "Fine," she says. "What's your condition?"

Smiling one more, he pulls out a scroll. "Once we're evacuated, contact Bianhuren."

Confused, Larissa arches her brow. "Contact who, now?"

Lifting up the cracked yellow parchment, he shows the group a picture of what looks to be a woman with mint green skin and grassy green hair. Her strange hair is tied up messily in a bun, and she wears a long white dress. Once you've looked at her skin, one would expect her eyes to be some shade of green. However, they're not. Instead they're a peculiar shade of deep violet. Then, as if this isn't enough, this strange woman has large and beautiful wings that stretch from high over head to down below her ankles. Rather than angel wings, they appear like butterfly wings. These wings have a lovely pattern of green and purple swirls which can easily trick the eye with their beauty.

The airbending girl's eyes never leaving the parchment, she listens to Heng with curiosity as he speaks. "Before the water floods the village, contact Bianhuren. She's the nature spirit that protects our town. Hopefully with her help any stragglers that get left behind might be saved as well as our homes and businesses."

"Wait," says Larissa in shock. "You want me to contact a spirit? There's no way I can do that!"

Again, Heng chuckles. "What are you talking about? Of course you can! You, Miss Hana, are the Intatar."

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that's all for now, folks. Just so you know, rather than doing "The Great Divide" episode I'm arching "Jet" over into a two part chapter and simply touching on "The Great Divide". I considering doing "The Great Divide", but found myself unable to work with it because it's irrelevant to the plot line I'm creating. Nonetheless, I promise you that the next chapter will be an interesting one. Also, another fact I should probably share is that I'm doing a separate book for each season. "Disappeared" is just for season one. The book for season two is going to be titled "Emergence", and the book for season three will most likely be titled "Resurrected". I just thought I'd share that information with you for convenience sake. I would've shared earlier, but I wasn't entirely sure on book names yet. Well, that's all I have for now. Until the next update, my friends! :)**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Okay, in all technicality this is "The Great Divide" episode, but I've decided to just arch over "Jet" instead. I thought that I'd just to skip "The Great Divide" because it really doesn't fit into the plot line I'm creating. Plus there's nothing new I can do with that episode anyway. Although, I will touch on it just so you can have a sense as to the ATLA timeline, and how much time is going by. Other than that this chapter is going to be one focused on Larissa and on her growth as the Intatar. I really haven't mentioned her as the Intatar too much since "The Winter Solstice" part 2, so it's time for us to see Intatar Hana in action! Also it's time for the news to spread that, after fourteen-hundred long years, that the Intatar has returned! Enjoy the chapter! :)**_

* * *

_ Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, but the Intatar idea is completely mine. _

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Larissa stands at the crest of a hill directly in front of the Earth Kingdom town's entrance. Her glider is gripped securely in her right hand as she looks down at the throng of citizens exiting the village. A gentle breeze engulfs her, teasing her blonde ringlets and the hems of her Air Nomad robes. Breathing in deep the Intatar lets the wind overwhelm her, calming her nerves very slightly. This makes the teenager feel more at peace, but not by much.

Down closer to the entrance Larissa spots her blue-clad friend. He motions to people as they exit, keeping them calm and moving single-file. This causes the girl to smile. If it works out that she can't contact Bianhuren and save the town's buildings then at least the people are safe. Closing her eyes, she tries for the fifth time in twenty minutes to do what that creepy hippy, Heng, had asked her to do.

_"__Bianhuren,"_ she says mentally, _"This is the Intatar speaking! Your village needs your help! Please come to me!"_

Larissa closes her eyes waiting patient for something to happen; anything, really. Whether it comes as a soft airy whisper or an extreme well of power coursing through her veins it matters not to the Intatar. Any source of spiritual connection will do. Of course, just like every other time she's tried this, nothing happens besides sadness and a feeling of dread.

"Ugh, I don't understand! Why won't it work?!" the girl shouts to the sky.

Nobody hears her yell from the ground below. They simply keep moving as Sokka and the Fire Nation soldiers keep them in line. Feeling like the task she's been trying to accomplish is entirely useless, she takes her glider and flies down to them. If she can't help in an Intatar way then at least she can help the civilians evacuate.

Thirty seconds later she is landing next to Sokka and helping people out the village entrance. With all of the commotion it takes the tribal boy a minute to notice her. Once he does he eyes her in puzzlement.

"Hana?" he asks. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off meditating and trying to contact the village spirit."

Her face turns visibly downcast at this observation. "I tried," Larissa explains. "I've meditated, airbended while meditating, called out to Bianhuren both mentally and physically, I've tried it all. Nothing's working."

Furrowing his brow he gazes at her in concern. "So if you can't contact Bianhuren, what will you do?"

"I'll do what I can as the Intatar and guide them uphill to safety."

Sokka gives a single nod as he outstretches an arm to his left. "We're taking them to that hill right there. You can go up front and make sure that nobody's panicking or crowding. Good luck."

"Good luck to you too, Sokka."

Hopping back on her glider, she flies in the designated direction. As she does this she can tell that Sokka was neither humoring her nor bluffing, for people are already crowding and pushing to get to the highest peak on the hill.

_"__Oh boy,"_ Larissa says to herself. "_The Intatar's job is never made easy, is it?"_

* * *

It takes a good long time, a lot of energy, and a lot of manpower, but eventually the entire town is evacuated and nuzzled together safely on top of a nearby hill. Normally when you get large groups of people together it gets talkative and noisy sounding. Right now, however, this isn't true in the least. If anything, it's more silent than Sokka has heard it in a long time. Searching the crowd with azure irises, the boy sporting the warrior's-wolf-tail notices how frightened the villagers seem at the potential loss of their homes and businesses. Those that don't appear frightened are just flat out annoyed by the situation.

Unfortunately for him, he knows what this is about already. And, just for the record, he could strangle the town's creepy medicine man without feeling any kind of remorse. After what that idiot went around telling everyone he would deserve every bit of the punishment. Several moments later, just as Sokka had been expecting, it happens.

"Our town is completely exposed," spats someone from the throng. "Heng told us that the Intatar would help protect it!"

Another person shouts out in agreement. "Yeah! If this is true, then where's Bianhuren?! Intatar Hana was supposed to contact her!"

Sokka can't help but feel a pang of irritation. He and Hana had just risked their lives coming to this village and helping people get out safely, and they repay them by complaining about their Intatar? What a bunch of ingrates. Sokka is about ready to step forward and defend, but he doesn't get the chance. Looking very strong and Intatar-like with her glider and flowing robes, Hana steps up to take them all on herself.

"I tried to contact her," Hana says to the crowd. "I did my very best, but in the end I found myself unable to. I don't know how to reach the spirits yet; I'm sorry."

The villagers are silent a moment before putting up another argument.

"You, the all powerful Intatar, don't know how to contact the spirits? Some Intatar you are!"

"Why would Lianmin choose to bless _you_ with his power? Incompetent fool!"

"I have five months worth of merchandise in my mercantile, and I can't afford to lose it!"

"If this flood wipes out our homes and business then where are we supposed to live?!"

"Some of us are mothers and fathers with children! We can't afford to live in the forest exposed to the elements!"

Eventually all of their bickering comes together so that it sounds like one jumbled mess. Sighing peevishly, Hana looks directly into the crowd and shouts with authority. Until this very moment Sokka didn't know that she was even capable of shouting.

"Listen up! I tried contacting Bianhuren and saving your town, okay? I may be the Intatar and the first to be blessed by Lianmin's spirit in fourteen-hundred years, but I'm still in training. I'm not perfect! Look, I'm willing to try meditating and contacting Bianhuren again, but it won't work if I have an entire town of people yelling at me."

"We wouldn't have to yell at you if you knew how to do your job!"

Groaning, she looks to the man in the crowd that had said that. "Look, if you want me to leave so that you can try protecting the town on your own, then that can be arranged!"

Panicking, several people cry out pleadingly.

"No! Don't go!"

"We didn't mean it!"

"Don't listen to Jing! He's just an idiot!"

Taking a deep breath, the pale-faced girl addresses them once more. "Okay, I'm sorry. I promise that I won't leave you. It's like I said; I'm still in training, but I'll do my best."

A moment passes as the villagers silently agree. Satisfied by this, Hana is about ready to take her leave and try to contact Bianhuren yet again. However, the young girl doesn't get to go far at all. Before she can even walk three feet a pudgy woman looking in her mid to late thirties rushes up the hill faster than light. Based solely on her panic-filled features and her flushed appearance this woman has been running for quite a ways. Spotting the person she's searching for, the woman runs up to the light-haired girl dressed in orange. At this point tears are streaming down her cheeks.

"Intatar Hana, you have to help me!" she pleads in agony. "I've searched almost the whole town and I can't find my little girl! I'm afraid she's lost somewhere!"

Sokka watches as alarm fills the fifteen-year-old's gaze. "What's her name?" she asks the mother. "Maybe she snuck up here with the rest of the village when you weren't looking."

"She's seven years old. Her name is Lan." Turning to face the rest of the townspeople, she shouts out, "Please help me! Has anybody seen Lan?"

People within the throng begin muttering and exchanging glances. Others turn to search the crowd around them. A moment or so later they work together to confirm the mother's worst fears.

"Sorry, but we don't see her!"

"She isn't here, Zhu!"

"I think I saw her down by the marketplace earlier!"

Suddenly the woman, Zhu must be her name, starts to cry harder. "Are you telling me that she's back in the village?!" she shouts frantically.

"She must be? What other explanation is there?"

"Well someone has to go after her! She could be killed!" says the hysterical mother.

It is here that Sokka and the rest of them notice the determined look crossing the Intatar's face. Fanning out her blue and yellow glider, Hana calls out to them.

"Everyone, keep a lookout for Lan! I'm going to fly down and search the village!"

That being said, she gets onto her glider and flies away in the direction of the town. Knowing that it's only moments away from being destroyed, Sokka calls after her in panic.

"Hana, what are you doing? Hana!"

The girl doesn't listen to him in the least. Instead she continues on her path toward the town, her mission in mind.

* * *

With all of the townspeople gone this quaint little village looks more like a ghost town than anything else. The slight breeze from earlier still being around, a set of wind chimes whispers to her in the silence. The sound only adding to the eeriness of the setting, this doesn't help to calm Larissa's nerves. Within the past ten minutes she's searched over the entire marketplace while calling out the little girl's name without prevail. Not even the tiniest hint of a small child's voice has sounded in response to her calls.

Now Larissa finds herself wandering the stone-paved streets of the Earth Kingdom town's residential area. Lan not having been in the marketplace, it occurred to her that she could possibly be in someone's house somewhere. Jogging down the center of the street, she calls out the name of Zhu's daughter once more.

"Lan! Lan, this is Intatar Hana speaking! If you can hear me, you need to come out right now! This town is in danger, and everybody else has evacuated!"

Pausing in her steps, she listens for a response. Again, nothing can be heard but the wind and the jingling of wind chimes. Starting to panic more than before, Larissa runs the rest of the length of the street and turns the corner. The houses, which were previously small and humble, now appear slightly larger. Even the small towns seems to have their "haves" and there "have-nots". Desperate to find the woman's little girl, Larissa calls out once more.

"Lan! Lan, can you hear me?! LAN!"

Like every other time after doing this she listens. This time, to her relief, a soft whimpering can be heard. It's a very gentle sound and is no louder than the breeze itself, but it's still there nonetheless. Giving a thankful sigh, Larissa calls out again.

"Lan, is that you?! If so, please speak up!"

This time the whimpering is much louder. So much noisier is the sound that Larissa is able to tell that it comes from the building three houses down on the right. Happy, she dashes over to it and darts inside without hesitation. Then, at last, she sees her. A tiny female child with her soft brown hair tied into twin braids. All dressed in green, she sits up against the wall of the sitting room with her legs pulled up to her chest. Gray eyes filled with terror, the child hesitantly observes the older girl. Noticing her fear, Larissa slows her steps. Of course, with the limited time table she does this only slightly.

"Are you Zhu's daughter, Lan?"

The child nods slowly. "Yes."

"That's wonderful!" Larissa exclaims with joy. "Lan, sweetie, your mommy's been looking all over for you. She's worried sick."

She starts to whimper again at the sound of her words. "Where's my mommy and where are my friends? Everyone's gone!"

Being as gentle as possible, Larissa kneels down beside her. "That's because it isn't safe here right now. Everybody else has evacuated. They're outside standing on a hill right now. Do you want me to take you to them?"

The girl gives another slow nod before standing up. Glad that she's willing to come, Larissa holds out her hand which Lan grasps with her tiny one. Together they walk outside hand-in-hand. Knowing that the time they've had could now be even less, she starts to hurry their steps. She'd take her up on her glider, but she hasn't the slightest idea how Lan would react. The last thing she wants to do is scare the wits out of her.

"Who are you?" the child asks almost out of nowhere.

Smiling down at her, Larissa replies calmly. "My name is Hana. I'm here to try and help your village."

Lan returns her smile. "I like you. You're really pretty."

The comment surprises the airbending teenager. Nobody has every called her pretty before. Giving another grin, she forms a response. "Thank you, Lan. You're pretty, too. You have the most beautiful gray eyes and lovely braids."

"Thank you." She pauses before inquiring, "Are you taking me to my mommy?"

"Yes. We're on our way to her right now, but we have to hurry. The faster we move the faster we get to see your mommy, okay?"

"Okay," says Lan in agreement.

A mutual agreement being formed, the two start to run. Larissa's heart is pounding with fear the entire time. If they don't get out of here soon they're both as good as dead. Several minutes pass and neither of them slows their steps. Larissa would like to pick the child up and carry her to quicken their pace, but this is quite impossible with Lan being seven years old. Finally, at long last, the two near the entrance. Not too far away on the peak of a nearby hill the entire village can be seen. Spotting the Intatar and the girl they begin to cheer.

"See," says Larissa to Lan. "Your mommy and all of your friends are up there on that hill. We're going up to see them right now."

The two are about ready to officially step outside of the village boundaries and begin their ascent. However, they don't get the chance. Off in the distance a loud **BOOM** is heard. Sadly, Larissa knows exactly what it is. Looking in the direction of the thunderous noise she comes face-to-face with her worst fear, for coming at them is a massive wall of water. Screaming out in pure agony, it's obvious that the child sees this too. With as large as the wave is it's impossible not to see it. Panic overtaking her, her and Lan work their way into a sprint. Of course, the adolescent already sees the uselessness of it all. Even if they hopped on her glider and became airborne right now there would be no time. The water is moving far too rapidly.

It is at this moment that Larissa does the only thing she can think to do. Squatting down she engulfs the child in a protective embrace and yells as loud as she can; this time not from obligation, but from cold-blooded fear and desperation.

"Bianhuren, please help us! I'm only one girl! I can't do this without you!"

* * *

Sokka's breathe catches in his throat at the sight. The dam has just been blown up. With nothing there to protect them, they're completely exposed. The villagers gasp as they all turn their gazes northward. Barreling right down on the two young girls is a massive amount of water. It is this very sight that causes the Water Tribe boy to find his voice. He shouts to the top of his lungs.

"Hana, hop on your glider and get out of there! Move, Hana! Get out of there now!"

Hana doesn't move. Instead she squats down and engulfs the child in a hug. Then, not even half a second later, the wave crashes down and takes them from his view. Terrified, Sokka's frantic cries are ten times louder than before.

"Hana, are you okay?! HANA?! **HAAANNNAAA!**"

Not a peep is heard from his pale-faced friend as his breathe escapes from him once again. First one second passes; and then three; and then ten. Still neither Hana nor Zhu's daughter can be seen. It is at this point that Sokka falls to his knees is agony. He doesn't yet realize it, but his blue irises are starting to fill with tears.

"No! That stupid, stubborn, girl! I **_knew_** that I shouldn't have let her go down there!"

The villagers all stare at Sokka as if feeling his pain. Then, however, something happens that rips their eyes from the boy. It's a sight that none of them has ever seen before. Suddenly a giant beam of purple shoots out of the water, followed by a gigantic pillar of earth. This pillar just so happens to hold their town on top of it. Of course, at this point, it's relatively certain that nobody cares either way. At the moment all of their focus is on something floating high above the rocky pillar. The purple beam having vanished, the blonde-headed girl is now hovering high over the column with the child wrapped up in her arms; and they aren't up there alone. Underneath them supporting their weight is an ominously large green and purple butterfly. Looking up at the sky in awe, the pony-tailed boy has noticed this as well.

Mouth hanging agape, he stands up. "What the—"

Right then the gigantic butterfly swoops down doing a nosedive for the hill. For a second the people scream in terror with the assumption that it's going to crash. Luckily, it doesn't. Instead it straightens out and lands perfectly atop its peak. Once it's firmly grounded Hana releases the child, who climbs down and runs joyfully to her mother. Oddly enough, neither of them speaks. They simply continue staring at the butterfly which takes back off into the sky. Gasping and muttering, the townspeople notice something new as does Sokka. The girl, whose eyes are normally a lovely shade of blue, now has eyes that glow a frightening shade of violet. It isn't just the iris either, Sokka notes. It's the entire eye, involving the white, the pupil, and all the rest. As the gigantic butterfly moves her hair swishes back and forth rapidly, letting them know just how fast it's actually moving.

Eyes shining purple, Hana stands up while on the butterfly's back. Shifting into an airbending stance, it's almost as if her eyes glow a brighter shade of purple than before. Using all of the power the Intatar state gives her, the girl works rapidly to form an air funnel. This is by no means a funnel created by an amateur. If anything, this is nothing short of a small tornado. The column of air spinning rapidly, Hana uses it to suck up the ocean of water surrounding the pillar of earth. Once all of the liquid is contained the funnel is turned into an air ball and gets tossed all the way to the center of the forest. Based on its location, this is most likely where the river is at.

Once that has been done Larissa shifts stances into one that looks similar to an earthbending stance. Making very vast and dramatic movements, the earthen pillar shrinks down so that it's only standing at one quarter of its previous height. Then, using a completely different set of movements, parts of the pillar are carved out to form stairs. From there Hana assumes an airbending stance once more and brings up a huge gust of wind that's aimed for these peoples' town. For a moment Sokka hasn't the slightest idea what she's doing. Only when he sees the large liquid streams flooding down either side of the pillar does he understand. After this Hana again shifts stances so that she's earthbending. Using her abilities as the Intatar, she forms a huge ravine at the base of the pillar which the water flows into. The only part of the pillar that the ravine doesn't touch would be the several areas where the stairs lay.

Once it's all finished the green and purple butterfly flies downward and lands them both at the base of the hill where the villagers are standing. Each of them notices how Hana's eyes are still gleaming purple. The creature now planted firmly on solid ground, the pale-faced teen jumps off of the creature. Now that the Intatar herself is standing on the ground something more amazing than before happens.

The giant butterfly, or what everyone had thought was a butterfly, begins shrinking its wings. Eventually, once they've shrunken down to half of their original size the creature stands up so that it's no longer a butterfly, but is more human-like in appearance. Having light green skin and dark green hair, it's obvious that this isn't an actual human. With the violet-colored irises along with the fact that its' wings are still present makes this fact even more apparent. Adorned by a beautiful and flowing white dress the same shade of the snow the woman-like creature moves closer to the Intatar. As she does so, she speaks in a lovely bell-like voice.

"Now that my village is safe I must take away your earthbending; you have used it wisely. Thank you, Intatar Hana."

Hana bows deeply. Speaking in a voice that sounds terrifyingly powerful she says, "Thank you, Bianhuren. You are a very wise and very generous nature spirit, and I am glad that you came to my call."

"Of course I will come when you call, Intatar. It has been a true honor seeing a piece of Lianmin's spirit again after so long." Bianhuren pauses before saying, "Now kneel. I must take away your earthbending before you leave the Intatar state."

Wordlessly, Hana does exactly this. Reaching out a smooth green hand, the spirit touches a forefinger to the center of her forehead. When she does this a large bolt of emerald energy is released from the girl. Slowly but surely a small green orb makes its way back over to its original owner before dissipating into the air around her.

"Your temporary gift has been removed. Now that this has been done, I must return to the Spirit World. Goodbye, Intatar Hana."

That being said, the large purple beam appears just as it had before. Bianhuren walks over to it and is sucked inside. Once this happens the beam goes away as if it were never there. Hoping that Hana's feeling okay after going through something so extreme, Sokka puts all of his focus back on her only to discover her small form lying passed out on the ground.

* * *

Later That Night

"I'm being serious, Katara. She was in the Intatar state. I watched her contact the village spirit and save the whole town. She was incredible! It's just…I'm worried about her is all. I think all of that spiritual stuff she had to do really took it out of her."

The sound of the Water Tribe warrior's voice plays at the edge of Larissa's senses as she slowly enters wakefulness. Shifting slightly, she's able to feel the warmth of her fur-lined sleeping bag engulfing her as well as sense the crunching of leaves coming from beneath her. Off to the side comes the crackling of the fire, telling the pale-faced girl that it isn't too far away. Flipping over onto her stomach, Larissa listens as Katara responds to her brother's comment. She may be slightly awake, but she's still too drowsy yet to open her eyes.

"No, Sokka, I believe you," says Katara. "Aang and I were off fighting Jet when a huge splash of water fell back into the river. Based on everything you've told us, I can believe that it was Hana who did that. I'm only wondering if it was really the Intatar state that did this to her is all. Didn't you say that she almost drowned after Jet blew the dam?"

"Yeah," Sokka replies. "This is the second time she's almost drowned in the past six weeks!"

"So…maybe it was that that did it to her and not the Intatar state. You're worrying too much."

"Worrying too much?!" the pony-tailed boy exclaims. "Katara, look at her! I'm just saying that maybe she should master her two elements and train a little bit more before going all purple-eyed and glowing again. If communicating with the spirits is this hard on her, then she needs to be more careful. I don't want her to get hurt."

Suddenly, to Larissa's surprise, she feels as a hand reaches down and strokes her hair. A wheat-colored strand is tucked behind her ear before someone speaks once again.

"I understand that you don't want her to get hurt, Sokka. None of us do. I'm only telling you that Hana's the Intatar; her destiny is to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord and put an end to this war. This being the case, she's going to have to go _'all purple-eyed and glowing'_ again at some point. Aang explained it to me once just how different the Intatar and the Avatar really are."

"I know that the Intatar and the Avatar are different, Katara. You don't have to explain that to me."

Larissa hears as the waterbender sighs. "Actually, Sokka… I think I do."

"Alright, then," Sokka replies stubbornly. "If you're so bent on telling me the extreme differences, then fine. Be my guest."

There's a long moment of silence before the tribal girl speaks. "You know how the Avatar is the master of all four elements, right?"

"Right…?"

"Well, that's what the Avatar is: the master of all four elements. The Avatar State exists, but only for emergencies or extreme situations. The Avatar is mostly supposed to rely on their own bending abilities. They can communicate with the past Avatars and with the spirits, but most of the time they're here with the human race and keeping balance. Now…the Intatar...the Intatar is a different story…"

"Fine, Katara. Get on with it. What's so vastly different about the Intatar?"

Sounding very purposeful in her explanation, the braided girl continues. "The Intatar get's more than one element and has to master them just like the Avatar, but this isn't the Intatar's _actual _purpose. The Intatar's sole purpose is to communicate with the spirits and to summon them for help. The Intatar is supposed to be able to contact the spirits, learn the layout of the Spirit World, study and possess all of these unique spiritual abilities, the Intatar is supposed to do all of these things. Did you know that the Intatar is capable of spiritual powers that the Avatar could never even**_ dream _**of possessing?"

There's a slight hitch to Sokka's voice as he speaks. "Yeah. The Intatar is supposed to be a spiritual master. So what?"

"_So_, Hana has to learn how to do all of these things. She can't do it if we don't let her try and reach the Intatar state again. Learning to master the Intatar state and her spirit powers is more important than her two element _times ten_. Aang told me this himself, and he heard it from Monk Gyatso. This is valid information, Sokka."

Sokka releases a long sigh. "I know," he says almost inaudibly. "When Hana was in the Intatar state she looked incredible; for the first time it's like I actually saw her as Intatar Hana. Don't tell anybody I said this, but she looked three times as powerful as Aang when he's in the Avatar state. You guys should've seen her. It was… amazing."

Puzzlement is clearly visible in his sister's voice. "Okay. You're telling me that Hana is very powerful. What point are you trying to make here?"

"Nothing. Just that…with so much power inside one human being…she could easily hurt herself trying to tame it. The world can't afford to lose her, Katara, and neither can I—…we."

Katara, sounding very loving and sisterly, does her best to comfort her brother. "Sokka, let me ask you one question. When she went into the Intatar state for the first time and contacted Bianhuren, did she hurt herself?"

"Yes." He replies simply. "She's been out all day, Katara."

"No," his sister replies. "She hasn't. I examined her thoroughly when you brought her back to us on Appa. She hasn't been blacked out or in any type of coma at all. Nothing is wrong with Hana. She's only tired. Based on what you told me, she was doing some extreme spiritual stuff while in the Intatar state. It being her first time and her not being used to it, it probably just drained her. If you've been watching her at all, you've probably noticed that she's been tossing and turning."

It takes a long time, but eventually Sokka replies. "Okay. True. She probably is just tired. Admit it to me, though. Before she goes into the Intatar State too much she needs to read up and do some studying. Not to mention some training."

"True," Katara agrees. "Now that she's learning how to read, she can do it too. Of course, don't forget, Hana has a say in this too. When she wakes up we'll talk to her about it. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough."

That being said, Katara release a loud yawn. "Now let's go to sleep. It's late."

The two siblings can be heard getting up and shuffling around the campfire to their individual spots. Once they're asleep Larissa meditates on what she's heard. Admittedly, everything they just talked about has crossed her mind at one point or another. Now that they're thinking about it too it only means that it's time to face the situation. On top of her airbending lessons and learning how to read she is going to have to start learning about her spiritual abilities too. The question is _how_. Too tired to think about it tonight, Larissa snuggles back into her sleeping bag before falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

Four Days Later

"Wow? That can really happen?"

Larissa uses an air funnel to propel more acorns at Aang, the young Avatar bringing up an air shield to deflect the projectile objects. Meanwhile, Aang responds happily to her question.

"Yeah. Of course that can happen. When you go into the Intatar state the spirit can grant you a temporary element. Even after you've mastered your two elements a spirit can give you one to replace it for a while if it's necessary."

His air shield down, the bald monk tosses an air ball her way in attempt to catch her off balance. Lucky for her, Larissa manages to evade it. Using her staff, she tosses and air swipe his way and leaps up onto a boulder. Ever since leaving the forest and entering into more rocky and mountainous territory airbending duels aren't quite as fun to Larissa, but they're still fun nonetheless.

"Let me get this straight," Larissa says. "If I later find out that I'm a waterbender and master that along with airbending, I could trade in my waterbending for earthbending or firebending if I needed to?"

Aang sends a small pebble flying her way, which she manages to deflect with an air shield of her own.

"That's right," he replies. "You'd need to give it back, though. Unless you actually unlock the element and master it, then you can't keep it."

Larissa is about ready to strike once again, but holds off as a thought occurs to her.

"Oh! Is that what happened with Bianhuren and why I could earthbend? She granted me the ability so I could help protect her town?"

"Exactly! You've been granted bending already! You still get to use all four elements, but you can't hold more than two at once. Lianmin's spirit won't allow it because the Intatar would become too powerful otherwise."

The blonde-haired girl nods slowly. "This is all so fascinating! I don't know why I didn't ask you to start telling me about all this Intatar stuff sooner."

Aang smiles. "I don't know why I didn't start telling you sooner on my own."

The two pause. Gazing up at the sky, it has become apparent to both of them that they need to get back to camp. They got their chores done earlier in order to practice airbending, but Sokka and Katara didn't. This only makes Larissa wonder how things are going. Shrugging, she turns to the nomad.

"The sun's starting to set. Do you think we should be heading back?"

"Yeah, it's about time to," the twelve-year-old replies. "Let's go."

Fifteen minutes pass as the two make their way back to the campsite. All of the food being collected already, Aang and Larissa are satisfied that their share of the chores is finished. Hopefully they have a warm tent and a fire to look forward too as well. Upon arriving, however, it is perfectly clear that this isn't at all the case. Noticing a collapsed tent along with scattered twigs, the first to address the situation is Aang.

"Hey, where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?" he asks in confusion.

"Why don't you ask Miss Know It All? Queen of the twigs!" Sokka spats out sullenly.

Katara turns at the comment. "Oh yeah? Well you're Mister Lazy Bum, King of the Tents!"

Picking up a twig, she tosses it at the back of her brother's head. Really, Katara's a pretty good shot too. She actually does manage to nab him in the back of the head. This action angering Sokka, he whips around to face her.

Aang laughs at this. "Okay, listen guys. Harsh words won't solve problems, action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"

Watching this whole scene play out, Larissa arches her brow. This whole thing looks oddly familiar. If only she knew why… Then, a moment later, it occurs to her. Their journey has reached yet _another _Avatar the Last Airbender episode. But what episode is this? Getting out her mental list of season one episodes, she scrolls through them. Let's see… the last episode they were on was _Jet_, so this one should be…

_"__Oh crap!"_ says Larissa to herself at the realization. _"I __**hate **__this episode!"_

* * *

Two Days Later

Larissa has the worst headache a person could imagine. She can remember how much the Zhang and the Gan Jin Tribes had annoyed her as a child. Living through _The Great Divide_ episode, however, is ten times worse than watching it on TV. At the start of the journey she was hoping that something would change to make it go differently like other episodes she's lived through. _The Waterbending Scroll_, for example, changed into _The Airbending Scroll_. Not only that, but when she and Sokka had been captured by the gypsies preconceived knowledge had helped them escape easily. With _The King of Omashu_ it was she who was forced to do the challenges. Because of this she discovered her airbending. With this episode Larissa had hoped for something similar. Unfortunately for her, this didn't happen.

Somehow, to the airbending girl's absolute dismay, things went exactly as they had on the show all the way from the feuding tribes to the Avatar's lie to help resolve the issue. Even the thing with the canyon crawlers was the same. Of course, unlike Sokka and Katara, she got deeply involved with neither the Zhang's nor the Gan Jin's. Instead she was with Aang as his Intatar companion the whole time. Amazingly enough word has spread about her identity within the past week or so. Somehow the people they've run into seem to be overjoyed at the Intatar's return rather than confused. If it were Larissa herself, she'd be stooped in puzzlement. After all, amazingly powerful beings that went missing millennia ago don't just return out of nowhere.

Then again, with everything else that's happened to these people, this probably doesn't seem that strange; if anything, it probably seems miraculous. With the Fire Nation being so close to victory in the war they probably would feel joy at both the Avatar _and_ the Intatar's return. Even so, Larissa isn't entirely sure if she's ready for the world to know her identity or not. Being Intatar Hana and being one of the world's last hopes for peace is a lot of pressure; especially after going into the Intatar state to save that village. She was able to go into the Intatar state once, but when the time comes when she has to do it again will she be able to?

Larissa sighs heavily at the internal question. Who knew that being an all powerful companion to the Avatar would be so hard? Feeling the need to write, she takes her blue Water Tribe bag and pulls out her journal along with a pen. It's been over a week since she's written. With everything that's been happening her mother really should know. If she ever decides to send the letters/entries back through the cross-portal that is…

_Mom,_

_I know that it has been almost week since I've written last. I'm sorry for the lengthy delay, but I couldn't much help it. With all that has been happening it's hard to find time. I have time now, though, so I'll use it. Anyway, I have news. If I was uncertain about my identity as the Intatar before, then I'm not anymore. Several days ago Sokka and I had been captured by Jet and were tied up and taken into the woods by Longshot and Smellerbee. It wasn't too much of a struggle to escape them, though. Once we'd gotten away we did just what Sokka had done on the show and went to warn the Earth Kingdom town about the dam. Once we got there things didn't go quite the way I had expected. I won't get into the details, but it was…something different. Don't even get me started about the creepy hippy medicine man that lives in the woods! _

_Anyway, we managed to get it all worked out so that the villagers evacuated. Only, there was a little girl named Lan who got left behind. Her mother was frantic, so I decided to do the proper Intatar thing and go back for her. When I did…well…we didn't make it out in time. (By the way, please don't get nervous as I'm telling you this. May I remind you that I'm alive and well and am writing to you about all of it now?) At first when I saw the water I thought that we were both going to die. Only…we didn't. Whether you'll take this as truth or as a tall tale I don't know, but either way I can honestly tell you that I went into the Intatar state. I made contact with their village spirit Bianhuren and she helped me save their village. It was incredible! With that much power and spiritual energy coursing through you, you feel invincible!_

_Yet, I'm still not sure how to feel about it. While I'm glad that I was able to reach the Intatar state and save the village, myself, and Lan, I still don't know if I'm comfortable with the world knowing who I am. Now that it's becoming known that the Intatar has returned people everywhere are going to start depending on me. This is a good thing for Aang, considering that he no longer has to bear the burden alone. If this is a good thing for me, however, I'm not sure. There are so many people depending on me, mom. It's not just Zuko's life that's in my hands now, but the lives of all the people in this dimension. _

_If I don't defeat the Fire Lord alongside Aang before the comet comes, then it's over. If I don't master my two elements and my spiritual abilities then there's no way I can do it. Not only that, but if I don't save Zuko's life than it's still over because Aang won't have a firebending teacher. Do you know what else has occurred to me? If fire is my second element and Zuko dies on the day of the eclipse, then I won't have a firebending teacher either. If this plan I've concocted doesn't work, then I haven't the slightest idea what will. I'd like to tell you all about it, but I can't for fear of jinxing it. Although, I can tell you that there's a pretty good chance that it will work. With my previous knowledge from the show I suppose that I've been given a pretty decent advantage. The next time I run into Zuko it's time to put it all into action. It's all planned out now, mom, and there will be no turning back. _

_Only, in order for this to work, I can't wait for Zuko to come to me. I have to go to the next week or so I know exactly where I'll be able to find him. My heart is thundering in my chest just thinking about it. This must be the most insane riskiest plan in the history of plans! Then again, if it's for the sake of the world, I love risky. _

_I love you, mom. Share my love with Sarah, Amy, and Darcy for me. Also, you're free to let them read my letters. These are for them, too. Once again, I love you all and I will love you always. I pray that you're all doing well. If the cross-portal/Avatar Wan will let me, I will try to come and visit you one day. For now, however, I need to go. I'll write to you again sometime soon._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Larissa_

_P.S. I forgot to mention. You know this letter? With all of my writing lessons, I could probably write the majority of this out in characters as easily as letters. _

"Hana! Hana where are you?!"

The sound of Sokka's voice echoes through the surrounding area. A second later Aang's voice can be heard as well, telling Larissa that she'd finished her letter just in time. Hurriedly, she tucks the small book back inside her bag along with her pen.

"Hana!" shouts out Aang. "You need to come back! It's time for dinner!"

Another moment passes and Aang and Sokka emerge from the brush to the small clearing where she'd been sitting. By now the light-haired girl is on her feet, looking as though she's been up to nothing.

"Hana, there you are. We've been looking everywhere for you!" the Avatar exclaims cheerfully.

As if just noticing her location, the Water Tribe boy eyes her oddly. "What have you been doing here? I thought you said that you were going to pick berries."

"I was," Larissa says easily. "It's just, after picking so many berries I decided that I wanted a break."

Sokka and Aang stare at her a moment before shrugging their shoulders.

"Okay," says Sokka. "Well, now that we've found you, we need to get going back to camp. Katara's there by herself, and I don't want her there alone after dark."

Larissa smiles. "Okay, then. I'm coming. Sorry, by the way. I didn't know that I'd be gone for so long."

"It's okay, Hana," says Aang. "Everyone deserves some alone time."

That being said, the trio makes their way through the brush and back to their campsite. Ever since leaving Jet's woods, the brush isn't nearly as thick as before. It's nice in a way. Because of the thinness of the forest one doesn't have to worry as much about stumbling over twigs and branches. This thought, however, comes much too soon. Larissa's mind still being very much on her most recent message to her mother, she wasn't paying attention. It's this action right here that causes the girl to stumble over a rock that lies directly in her path. The two boys of the group being several steps ahead of her, they don't notice until the light-haired girl is sprawled out on the ground with the contents of her bag askew. Turning around, the first to notice is Sokka.

Stepping over, he offers the girl his hand. "Hana, are you okay?"

Taking the Water Tribe warrior's much larger hand, Larissa gets to her feet. "Yeah, I'm fine. My mind was somewhere else and I tripped is all."

Nodding, the boy notices the girls belonging's all strewn about. The Avatar also seeing this, he rushes to assist in collecting her things. When the little bald monk does this, however, Larissa's worst fears are realized. For in his hand is Larissa's secret blue book. Worse than this, it's hanging open.

"Hana," Aang asks. "What's this?"

Her heart-rate begins to pick up ever so slightly. "It's the book you gave me to hold onto a few weeks ago before visiting the Air Temple. Remember?"

"Yeah," the twelve-year-old replies in puzzlement. "I remember, but it doesn't look the same."

Trying to hide her nervousness, she asks, "What do you mean?"

"Before all of the pages were blank. Now some of them are being filled. Not only that, but it's in the strange writing we'd seen before."

Panic overtaking the girl, she reaches over and rips it from his hand and tucks it back inside her bag in a single swift motion. "It's nothing, Aang. Really, it's nothing. Just…never mind."

The monk stares at the girl oddly, as does Sokka.

"Are you sure it's nothing, Hana?" asks the tall boy. "If you think that it could be something, then you're free to tell us."

Knowing how suspicious she must look, Larissa glues on a smile. "It really is nothing, Sokka. I'm being honest." After a slight pause she adds, "Now let's get back to camp. It's like you said; Katara's there alone and we need to get back before it gets too dark."

Sokka's expression changes as she points that out. "Oh. That's right! We've gotta get back!"

Aang and Sokka begin picking up the pace at the realization. Still feeling slightly nervous at what an extremely close call that was, she follows after them. Hopefully now that they've seen her journal they don't start following her more closely. Without time to write to her mother Larissa is already certain that she'll go crazy!

"Hana, are you coming?"

Looking up, she sees the two boys looking at her peculiarly. Without realizing it she'd stopped walking.

"Yeah," the girl replies. "Sorry. I just got lost in thought again."

They continue on their way back to camp without another word for the rest of the way there.

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that was the chapter. Just so you know, the ending was intentional and meant to "set the stage" for the next chapter so to speak. The next chapter is "The Storm" and I have a lot planned out for it. Tell me, what did you think of Hana/Larissa going into the Intatar state? I'm trying to make the transformation from "Hana" to "Intatar Hana" happen at a reasonable pace, so hopefully I'm doing good. I love hearing your thoughts! Well, until the next update! :)**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Okay, just so you know, I have been waiting to post this chapter with excited agony! This chapter, "The Storm", must be one of my favorites! I have been waiting to write and then post this chapter since before I started writing the fanfiction. This chapter excites me this much! :) In the past I've gotten some questions about why Larissa is so okay with being in the Avatar's world and about why she doesn't think about her family more. Well, as a bit of a hint, I've been holding off on that because this is the chapter where her feelings regarding her family and her home come out. And more than that comes out, believe me! Well, enough of my useless prattling. Enjoy the chapter! Once again, this chapter is technically the ATLA episode, "The Storm".**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Larissa stands in the doorway of her little one bedroom shack located in the poor section of suburban Chicago. From where she's standing the blond-headed girl can see her twelve-year-old sister, Sarah, sprawled out face-down in the center of the futon. Sitting beside her stroking her hair is their mother. The first thing Larissa notices about the forty-year-old is a sorrowful expression etched deeply into her face. Wondering how she suddenly got there, Larissa walks more deeply into the all too familiar room.

Not wanting to interrupt whatever is happening between the two other Fredrickson women, the girl makes her way into the kitchen and leans against the island. While observing them something new comes to her attention; soft weeping.

"Oh, mom," says Sarah through tears. "I don't know what we're going to do. It seemed hard before, but without Larissa it's impossible. There's no way we can do it!"

Their mother sighs. Larissa notes that this isn't just any sigh. Its' the one she gives only when she's feeling true distress.

"Well, Sarah, we're going to have to do it somehow. If we can't meet the rent we're done for. I'll have to start taking on cleaning jobs during the weekends and you'll have to rake leaves for some of the neighbors."

Larissa's oldest younger sister sits up at the words with tear-stained eyes the same color as her own. "What about Amy and Darcy?"

"You'll have to bundle them up and take them with you, hon. I can't see any other way."

The preteen with the soft brown hair starts to tear up once more. Openly weeping, she buries her face in the woman's shoulder. Their mother embraces her closely. So much does the seventh grader weep that her words are hardly recognizable. Even so, Larissa understands every syllable.

"Mom, I miss Larissa so much! I don't know if she knew this or not, but we love her so much and we need her! Without her we can't function!"

At this the eyes of her strong mother start to water as well. "I know, Sarah. I miss her too. I don't know where Larissa is or how she got there, but she needs to come back to us. We need her."

Larissa finds herself standing beside the futon next to her sobbing family members, aching deeply at the display. "Mom, Sarah, don't cry anymore. I'm back and I'm here to help."

Outstretching her hand, she readies herself to touch her mother's shoulder and let her know of her eldest daughter's return. However, when she tries, her small hand passes right through the middle-aged woman. That's when it occurs to her that this isn't' real. All this is another vision. Feeling a deep twinge of pain, she senses as her own eyes start to pool over. Here she is watching the most painful thing that she's ever seen and she can't even help them.

"Mama, Sarah— Are you okay?"

Lifting her eyes toward the house's single bedroom, Larissa sees as her other two sisters stand wide-eyed in the doorway. Based on the concern lining their features, they can obviously tell that something's wrong.

Nervous at the appearance of the two youngest daughters, their mother pastes on a smile. "Yes, Amy, we're fine. Now take Darcy and go back to sleep."

The two little girls stand dormant for several seconds, staring at them worriedly. Another moment passes and then they move. Only, they don't go back into their room. Instead they run over to the futon and climb on next to them. Knowing exactly what it is the two older ladies are distressed about, they hug them ferociously.

"It's okay, mama," says Amy. "We miss her too."

"I wish she was her to make us dinner and tuck us in bed. I miss her stories," Darcy sobs.

"When Larissa would pack our lunches and braid our hair before school she always did it perfect. It's so weird without her," Amy confesses quietly.

"She always used to give me hugs and call me her red-headed munchkin," Darcy says. After a slight pause she adds, "Mommy, why isn't Larissa here? Where is she?"

Their mom purses her lips in attempt to hold back further tears. "I don't know, sweetie."

"Is she coming back?"

A long moment of silence passes, salty drops making their way down the woman's cheeks. "Again I don't know, Darcy. But I hope so."

At last Amy and Darcy begin crying as well. With the painful thoughts of their sister's disappearance coming to the surface it is impossible not to. Whether the Fredrickson women know it or not, they aren't alone. For standing right behind them is their lost family member.

"I'm so sorry!" Larissa exclaims through tears. "I love you all so much, and I never meant to leave! Please forgive me! I had no idea you missed me so much after I disappeared!"

Then, out of nowhere, Larissa's surroundings begin to fade. This only causes the girl to panic.

"No wait! I haven't even had a chance to explain! Don't go! Please!"

Her cries of agony don't help in the least, nor can they even be heard. Instead everything simply continues fading from sight until nothing is left but blackness. A moment or so later Larissa finds herself shooting up out of her sleeping bag with layers of dried tears covering her face. To her dismay, she'd never been back home at all.

Unable to sleep, Larissa crawls out of her sleeping bag. Using the light of the moon, she makes her way from the campground to the forest without any trouble. Of course, she doesn't do this before grabbing a flask of water, a wooden bowl, and a small leather pouch.

* * *

Even in the center of the woods the moon manages to illuminate the blackness of the night. Larissa is unsure of whether this is true or not, but sometimes it seems like the moon in the Avatar's dimension is brighter than in her own. All she'd just seen still fresh in her mind, the fifteen-year-old takes the flask of water and pours it into the small wooden bowl. Balancing it out on a large rock, she removes a pinch of crimson powder from the small leather pouch and sprinkles it in.

Only now does it occur to Larissa how long it has been since last speaking to her friend. The last time she had openly communicated with her own dimension was several weeks ago to tell Macy about her identity as the Intatar. Since then she hasn't spoken with her at all. Not because she'd forgotten about Macy, but because she simply lacked the time. Technically there isn't time right now either. With it being the middle of the night she should be sleeping. Then again, the girl couldn't sleep even if she tried. Not until she makes contact with Earth.

Like every other time she's done this, the water turns from its original clear color to a purple-rimmed foggy color. Several seconds pass until, at last, it shows the face of her best friend from the other dimension. Rubbing her eyes, it's clear that Larissa has just awakened her again. Releasing a yawn, the dark-haired girl looks to her pale-faced friend from a world away.

"Wow, Larissa. You've beaten yourself by an hour. Instead of four in the morning you woke me up at three," Macy says jestingly.

"I'm sorry, Macy," Larissa says slowly. "I would talk to you in the morning, but it can't wait."

The wealthy teen's features turn from humor to concern at the hitch in Larissa's voice. Using caution, she asks, "Larissa is everything okay over there? Nothing's going wrong, is it?"

"No," the Intatar replies. "Nothing besides what I told you before."

"Oh right," she says with a nod. "Are you concerned about saving Zuko's life and saving the world again and is that why you called me? Or are you just nervous about mastering your spiritual abilities and two elements like last time?"

"No, Macy, it isn't that. It's something else. Something I should've asked you when you first contacted me on Kyoshi Island."

It is here that understanding pours into her deep brown irises. "Oh. I think I get it. This is about your family, isn't it?"

"Yes," Larissa whispers. A long moment of silence passes before she continues. "Macy, what do they think happened to me?"

Her otherworldly companion releases a long sigh. "They think you ran away to go find your father in New York. They think you deserted them."

Before she can stop it, a silver tear trails down her pale cheek. Sudden indignation flowing through her veins, she shouts into the bowl. "Macy, why would you let them think that?! They need me and now they think that I went off and selfishly left them! Why didn't you tell them what really happened?! That I'm destined to help save another world?!"

Shocked by this outburst, Macy releases a harsh laugh. "Ha, you really think that they would believe that? Larissa, that would make me sound insane! Not only that, but if I tell anybody about your well being or your whereabouts the Headmaster and my Professors will have me kicked out of the Enchantress Circle! If that happened, I could never show my face in front of my relatives again! They would disown me!"

Putting up both tiny hands to her head, Larissa begins tugging at her hair in frustration. "Okay, Macy, I've kept quiet for long enough. I didn't think that I wanted to know before, but now I do. Who are your Professors, who is your Headmaster, and what the heck is the Enchantress Circle? What are you?!"

"You don't know?" asks Macy in shock. "I'm in training to be an Enchantress of the inter-dimensions. Once my training under my Professors at the headquarters is complete I get to be put in control of one of the cross-portals; specifically, the portal to the Avatar realm. Much of the reason why I sent you there in the first place is because my Professors told me to. Apparently they were contacted by one of the spirits who gave them a command of some sort."

"A command?"

"Yeah. They wanted you in the Avatar's dimension because they claimed that you're a very important asset to their world's existence. I would've told you all of this sooner, but my Professors forbid me to. Just like they're forbidding me to tell your family about what happened to you. Not only that, but I'm not allowed to mess with the cross-portal anymore. They're afraid that I'll try to work something out to pull you back through to our dimension."

Larissa arches her brow in shock. "You could actually do that?!"

Macy gives an awkward half-smile. "Yeah…no. Probably not. My Professors think that I could, but I don't think so. I've just barely reached the rank of Master Apprentice. Really, I shouldn't even be allowed access into the Enchantress Circle right now… My Professors kind of worked together to…weasel me in…"

Confused again by this talk, she inquires, "The Enchantress Circle?"

"Yeah. It's an order of the most powerful high-ranking Enchantresses in all of the realms. You have to be practically a Master to get in. This is why I don't want to risk telling your mom and sisters about what happened to you. With all that's in peril for me right now, I don't want to risk bringing you back to see them either. If I make one slip-up I'm out of the Circle. If I make a seriously huge slip-up like…let's say… messing with the cross-portals or letting people know classified information… my spells and my magics' will be taken away and I won't be an Enchantress anymore." Macy pauses as she gives another sigh. "I'm sorry, Larissa. I really am."

It's here that Larissa works to better understand her friend's predicament. Being stuck under the thumb of her Professors would make some things quite impossible; especially the things that she was about to ask Macy to do for her. Giving a sad sigh, she speaks once again.

"It's okay, Macy. I know that you've worked really hard to become the Enchantress that you are today. I'm not going to have you jeopardize everything just to lessen my guilt."

The wealthy sixteen-year-old arches a brow. "Guilt? What guilt?"

"I'm the Intatar," she explains. "As the Intatar, I have visions sometimes. I had another vision just a little while ago of my mom and sisters. They need me, Macy. They're struggling just to survive, and I went off and deserted them in their time of desperation."

It is at this confession that Macy gives a small smile. "Larissa, you know that I've been helping watch over your family, right?"

Surprised, she looks the older teenager in the eyes. "You have? How?"

"I invite Sarah and your sisters over to help with my chores a few times a week and I pay them for it. Not only that, but sometimes I give them both food and money to compensate for the work." Macy laughs before saying, "Only, they don't actually do work a lot of the time. Sometimes I let them watch TV, use the pool, or play games with me and tell them that they're working by giving me company. Either way they earn their wages."

Larissa smiles joyfully. "Thank you so much, Macy. This means a lot to me."

"Hey, I'm part of the reason you're trapped in Avatar Aang's world in the first place. Of course I'll help watch over your family while you're away. Really, I would just give them the money, but being a Fredrickson yourself, you know the motto."

She chuckles at her mother's favorite saying. "Yeah, I know it: _'Never take anything for free.'_"

Macy chuckles too, before stretching her arms up in exhaustion. "Well Larissa it's been nice talking to you again, but I'm tired. I have to be at headquarters early for a meeting with the Enchantress Circle. Is it okay if I let you off the line?"

Larissa nods. "Yeah, it's fine. I should go back to bed too. Goodnight, Macy."

"Goodnight Larissa."

The fog inside of the bowl dissipates, leaving the water pure and clear once again. Knowing that the conversation is over, Larissa begins draining the water back into the flask before hiking back to camp. However, she makes her way back slowly. Even now Larissa knows that she still won't be able to find sleep.

* * *

The Next Morning

The sky is bluer than Larissa has seen it in a long time without a cloud to be seen. In the perfect sky is a perfect sun, making the whole world glow a lovely shade of gold. The other three members of the group notice this too as they each make their way over to Appa. With morning here it's time to get flying. Unsurprisingly, Aang already sits atop his beloved sky bison.

"Look at those clear skies, buddy! Should be some smooth flying!" he says to the animal.

Katara climbs into Appa's saddle alongside the pale-faced girl. Meanwhile she examines an empty burlap bag which she holds firmly in her hands.

"Well, we better smoothly fly ourselves to a market, because we're out of food."

Once their aboard the bison Sokka works his way up as well. As he does this he speaks out sounding alarmed.

"Guys, wait. This was in my dream. We shouldn't go to the market."

"What happened in your dream?" Katara asks curiously.

"Food eats people!"

Katara and Larissa exchange glances, eyeing him with lack of amusement.

"Also, Momo could talk," he adds as an afterthought. To Momo he says, "You said some very unkind things."

Larissa can't stop herself from chuckling. "Yeah, Sokka. I'm certain that underneath that cute and adorable exterior, Momo is secretly very dark and evil."

"He is!" Sokka exclaims. "You should've heard him! He told called me and idiot!"

Ignoring the two, Aang takes Appa from the ground and into the skies. From there Sokka, Larissa, and occasionally Katara have a whole debate on what Momo would say if he could actually speak. The entire time Larissa forgets that she has now entered another episode.

* * *

"Out of food and out of money, now what are we supposed to do?"

The group of four stands dormant on the dock, not having the slightest idea what to do about their current predicament. This especially isn't easy for Larissa. Whether the others know it or not, she's completely starving. With so many thoughts whirring through her head this morning when she'd first woken up, breakfast had simply seemed irrelevant. Now, however, the girl can clearly see her error. What she wouldn't give for a mango right now! At last Katara's words rip the girl from her hunger-filled thoughts.

"You could get a job, smart guy," the braided girl says to her brother.

Suddenly that's when the thought hits her. _A job_. Larissa isn't entirely sure about her current line of thinking, but she's certain that it will work if she tries. After all she'd managed to earn money this way back in Chicago when her family was having it tight financially. How bad could it go? Peering up, she watches as Sokka walks over to an elderly bearded fisherman who had previously been arguing with his wife. While everything they'd been saying completely passed Larissa by due to her deep thinking, it's apparent that he'd overheard their conversation.

"I'll go," the boy says.

"You're hired!" The elderly man exclaims.

Katara and Aang eye Sokka critically as does Larissa. Of course, over all, her thoughts are elsewhere much like before.

"What?" Sokka inquires. "You said 'get a job', and he's paying double."

Hearing this, the fisherman arches a brow. "Double? Who told you that nonsense?"

It's here that Larissa comes out of her mind enough to recognize the lines. The dialogue seems vaguely familiar, yet she can't quite remember the episode. For some reason her mental list of season one episodes fails her. Quite frankly, this little dilemma annoys her to death. Nevertheless the airbending girl is still able to sense that this whole fishing job won't go well for the Water Tribe boy, thus, her money-making idea. Knowing that it's now or never, she speaks up.

"Actually, Katara," the pale-faced girl starts out slowly, "I kind of had an idea that could earn us some money also."

Smiling at her words, Katara turns to her. "That's great Hana! What's your idea?"

Now it isn't only the other female who looks at her, but the monk too. Not wanting them to know her plan, she blushes slightly.

"Actually…it's kind of a secret. Is it okay if I go away for a while and come back later?"

The two other group members exchange glances before staring oddly at the adolescent.

"Are you sure, Hana?" asks Aang. "One of us could go with you if you want."

Her blush deepens as she takes several steps back. "No. Really, Aang, it's fine. I'd really prefer to do this alone."

Rubbing his neck awkwardly, he replies, "Okay, then. See you later."

"Do you know when you'll be back?" Katara asks in puzzlement.

"Uh…give me an hour or two. That all I'll need, I promise."

That being said, Larissa jogs off into the growing crowd of people before her companions can say anything more. For all of their sakes she hopes this works.

* * *

After taking the temporary position as fish hauler on this grumpy old fisherman's boat, Sokka takes the time to help the man load supplies below deck. So far it's been an hour. A little while ago when coming up for more cargo he'd noticed that Katara and Aang had stuck around, but that the light-haired airbender had not. Confused by this, he'd inquired to them about her whereabouts. When his sister and the Air Nomad had told him that they're not entirely sure where she's at this only confused him more; and then he's shrugged.

If one thing about Hana is for certain, it's that she's got a mind of her own. When the young woman wants to do something she does it, and when she wants to wander off she wanders off. Really, Sokka knows that this could be a dangerous habit for a pretty young woman to get into, but there's no stopping it. If anybody should know this then it's the Water Tribe boy, for he's tried before. In the end Hana's strong will cannot be tamed.

It is because of this that rather than chasing the stubborn girl down, Sokka has decided to ignore it and keep on with his work. Working to feed the family and being the breadwinner isn't easy. After working hard all day the last thing he needs is to go hunting down some free-spirited woman. If she'd only stay home and do what she's told, then—

Sokka freezes in the middle of the thought. Oh, sweet Ozai, since when did Hana become his wife?! Shaking his head at the ridiculousness of his previous line of thinking, the pony-tailed sixteen-year-old once again walks up the small vessel's stairs in order to get above deck. Now that the crates are in their proper places all that's left is the netting. Upon reaching the main deck, however, Sokka hears as the fisherman shouts out angry words; odd-sounding angry words at that.

"That's right! Keep flyin'!"

Blue irises aflame with indignation, his baby sister give the bearded man a sharp glare. "You're a horrible old man!"

The task at hand suddenly forgotten, Sokka makes his way off the boat.

"Hey, boy, where in tarnation are you going?!" the fisherman shouts.

Ignoring his calls, he continues jogging until reaching his younger sibling.

"Katara, I don't understand. What just happened?"

Obviously still disconcerted, the tribal girl responds. "It doesn't matter. All that matters now is that Aang's upset and I have to go after him."

Already knowing that Katara is the better candidate to deal with Aang and his Avatar problems, he nods in understanding. Once this is settled, however, another issue is raised. Amazingly enough, Katara is already sitting on top of Appa as she says this.

"Oh, and Sokka, you need to go find Hana. With me off finding Aang and you out fishing none of us will be here when she gets back. You need to go find her now."

Sighing, Sokka nods once more. He knew that this was coming before it even happened. With a 'yip yip' and a jerk of the reigns his sister is flying rapidly through the sky. And Sokka, he's already jogging down the dock in the direction of the marketplace.

* * *

_"__...you can own the Earth and still all you'll own is Earth until you can paint with all the colors of the wind." _

The song having ended, Larissa does a polite bow as the small gathering starts to clap. Her father may have never given her love or money, but at least she has his singing talent. To be frank, Larissa has never enjoyed singing solo or for money. The way her friends always gape at her when they hear her voice always makes her feel so awkward. Still, it is times like this that her talent comes in handy. Well, her talent, and that time Macy blackmailed her into joining the school choir. Without the Disney medley they did for their spring concert last year she'd never be able to remember all of these Disney songs! She just hopes that Aang, Katara, and Sokka don't drop by and see her doing this…

At last the applause from the growing crowd starts to die down. Breathing in deep, she tries to catch her breath. Singing so many songs in a row can't possibly be good for a person's lungs. Then again, it's certainly good for finances. Her Water Tribe bag is little-by-little becoming filled with copper pieces. Suddenly, somebody from the crowd starts to speak.

"Do another!" shouts a man from the crowd.

"Oh please do!" begs a woman. "It's not too often that we run into talented singers in this town!"

Smiling, Larissa nods. "Okay, I will. Please just let me take a few minutes to catch my breath."

Mumbling their agreement, the crowd of civilians starts to disperse. Happy for the break, she looks down at the amount of coins she's collected. It isn't a whole lot, but it should be able to get them food for about a week or more. Of course, after a few more musical numbers, maybe there'll be enough for two…

"Excuse me, miss? I don't mean to bother you, but would you like some music to accompany your singing?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Larissa whips around. Staring up at her with large green eyes is a frail-looking Earth Kingdom girl holding a flute. She looks no older than ten or eleven. Happy that the girl has volunteered, the orange-clad airbender nods.

"Yeah, sure. You can play your flute. The money we earn together after this we can split if you'd like."

The girl's emerald eyes light up. "Really?!"

"Of course. If we're performing together, then you should have your share."

"Okay!" she exclaims joyfully. "That sounds fantastic!"

An agreement being reached, the younger female removes a plain brown bag from her shoulder. Opening up the flap, she sets it on the ground the same as Larissa's had been.

"What's put into my bag we can split. The money you earned before is yours."

"Okay, then. That sounds fair." Pausing for a second, another Disney song pops into her head. Peering at the girl, she asks, "Do you know the melody for the song, '_You'll be in My Heart'_?"

* * *

Twenty minutes have passes as Sokka walks aimlessly up and down the streets. Not a light-haired airbender in sight! Getting annoyed he turns a corner. Wherever Hana is he hopes that she's not getting into any trouble. Then, suddenly, that's when he sees it. A small crowd is gathered somewhere up the street on the side of the road. Having not the slightest idea what they're all looking at he gets closer. As he does this the sound of superb flute playing can be heard. Not only that, but singing; beautiful singing that's done by a soft soprano voice. The closer he gets the more easily he can make out the words.

_"…__For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here don't you cry…"_

Wondering if his orange and yellow-clad companion could be somewhere in the crowd listening, Sokka shoves his way through until he's buried somewhere in the middle. Looking around for a wheat-colored head of hair, he doesn't have any luck. If anything, the crowd has gotten larger since entering. This irritates him slightly, but then again, who can blame them? Whoever these people are they're magnificent! Curious at the face of the singer, he stretches his neck to see up in front of the crowd. It takes a minute or so, but at last he is successful. It is here that Sokka releases an inaudible gasp.

_"__Well…"_ he says to himself. _"I guess I just found Hana."_

Not wanting to interrupt her song, the blue-clad warrior stays where he is and keeps listening in a state of stupefaction. By now she's much further along in the song.

_"…__Don't listen to them, 'cause what do they know? We need each other to have, to hold. They'll see in time I know…"_

The more he listens the more Sokka realizes that he's never heard this song before in his life. All the same, the song is good as is the singer. Based on Hana's personality and all of the time he's spent with her he had absolutely **_no _**idea that she could sing whatsoever. To be learning about her new talent after what feels like so long makes him feel slightly cheated. He should've known, after all. Not only is Hana's attitude a bizarre mixture of stubbornness and loyalty, but she's also full of surprises. Gaping at the girl like an idiot, he keys in on the song once more.

_"…'__Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, and forever more…"_

Another minute or so passes and the song finishes. Right after the song got over Sokka's plan was to go up to the front of the crowd, get Hana, and tell her what happened with Aang and Katara. Of course, when she starts another song, this plan kind of disappears. To be honest, three more musical numbers pass the crowd by and Sokka doesn't move an inch. Part of him wonders if the girl plans on continuing her singing for the rest of the day. A moment or so later, however, it is obvious that this won't happen.

"Ming Li! You get over here right now, young lady!"

To Sokka's surprise as well as everybody else's the flute playing stops as does Hana's singing. The flute player, whom the pony-tailed boy hadn't paid much attention to before, has large green eyes filled with fear. Hana's eyes are simply overwhelmed by confusion. Not even a second later a large and matronly-looking woman emerges from the throng. Walking up to the emerald-eyed girl, she grabs her by the wrist and snags her flute away from her. Anger brimming within the woman, she snaps her daughter's instrument in two.

"Almost a whole month and this is where we find you, eh? Street-performing for money with strangers?! You have a lot of nerve leaving us like that, Ming Li!"

Looking utterly terrified, Ming Li's eyes well up. "I'm sorry, mom! Please forgive me! I didn't know what I was thinking!"

Giving her daughter a sharp glare, she shouts, "You're darn right you didn't know what you were thinking, girl! Leaving your family cold and broke when they _need_ you!"

Coming out of her temporary state of puzzlement, Hana takes a step closer to the woman. By now most of the previous crowd has vanished, leaving Sokka exposed. He doesn't care though. He simply keeps watching the scene unfold.

"Excuse me, ma'am," says Hana hesitantly, "I don't mean to be nosy, but I am very confused. I've been performing with your daughter for almost forty-five minutes now. I thought that she lived here near this dock."

Staring at the girl wide-eyed, the lady laughs at the Intatar. "Lives here? Ha! She doesn't live here! My daughter, Ming Li, lives with me, my husband, and our five other children in a village far away from here. She ran away and has been missing for the past **_month_**!"

"The past month? I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't know."

The woman continues staring at Hana with a cold and brutal gaze. "You know, it's strange that a young lady like yourself would be standing on the side of the street alone. Didn't your parents teach you any manners, or did you run away and desert your family too?"

Looking entirely shocked, the girl sputters. "Wha— I— No! I never deserted anyone!"

The lady laughs. "Ha! You're lyin' through your teeth, aren't you, girl! I'd know that look anywhere! You have a family somewhere and you left them high and dry! What, are they poor like my family? Are they starving to death? If what I'm saying is true, then you ought to feel ashamed, girl."

Sokka half expects Hana to glare at the woman and to tell her just how wrong she is. However, this doesn't happen at all. Instead, the blue-eyed girl starts to tear up.

"No I shouldn't. It wasn't my fault!"

This causes her to laugh even harder. "Oh man, I was right! You do have a family! You're just like my daughter, ain't ya! A sick and selfish coward!"

To Sokka's surprise, her tears start to come harder. Unable to watch from afar anymore, the Water Tribe boy rushes up to her and grabs her gently by the forearms.

"Hana, are you okay?"

Appearing shocked by his sudden appearance, she looks up at him with tear-stained eyes. "Sokka, I—"

"No, Hana. It's okay. If something's wrong you can tell me."

Tearing her gaze away from his, she looks down at the ground. "No. I can't."

Now it's his turn to be confused. "Hana, what are you talking about?"

Eyes overflowing with tears, Hana rips herself away from him and runs down the street sobbing loudly. Taking out her glider, she leaps onto it and flies high into the sky.

"Hana, wait! Don't just leave me like this! **Hana**!"

Again, Sokka hears as the matronly woman cackles. Turning to her, Sokka glares sharply.

"You're sick! It's no wonder your daughter left! You're the coward!"

Surprised by the outburst, the woman begins calling out insults. However, Sokka doesn't hear a single one of them. Doing the only thing he knows to do, he rushes off in the direction of Hana's assumed flight.

* * *

"Please do this for me, Macy. I don't care about being the Intatar and saving this world anymore. I just want to go home and be with my mom and my sisters. They need me!"

Larissa sits curled up in a small cave buried in the middle of the forest. With it pouring down rain outside, she made it just in time. Yet, Larissa doesn't much care. Her only concern is convincing Macy to find a way to get her home.

Macy, currently finished with her meeting with the Enchantress Circle, looks at her friend and sighs. "I already told you that I can't, Larissa. Even if I could mess with the cross-portal and get you home without getting my title as Enchantress taken away, I still might not be able to. The cross-portal is extremely unstable. I doubt that I could drag you back through even if I had access to the most powerful magics' in the realm. I'm sorry, but you're stuck there."

Her tears still not gone from earlier, she cries some more. "Please, Macy! I can't live here anymore knowing that I deserted my family! I feel like some kind of criminal!"

"Well, you're not," says Macy gently. "Let's face facts, Larissa. Even if I did get you back through to our dimension you'd be home for a couple of days and then want to go back to the Avatar's dimension. Whether you admit it or not, you feel the weight of being the Intatar. You and I both know that you belong there in Aang's world."

Larissa gives a shaky sigh. "I know. But please. If you're not willing to bring me home, then can't you at least let them know that I'm okay? Please?"

Putting a palm to her forehead, Macy groans. "Larissa, we've had this conversation already! I CANNOT tell anyone about your whereabouts or your well being without getting kicked out of the Enchantress Circle and being disowned by my family! Again, my answer is **no**."

"Macy, please, you have to understand. If you were in my situation you would be asking the exact same thing of me, and I would actually _help_ you."

Her brown-eyed friend glares at her pointedly. "For the last time, I'm telling you—"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! Sweet Ozai, what is that thing?!"

Scared out of her skin, Larissa jumps to her feet. Standing directly beside her, staring down at Macy, is Sokka. Somehow during her conversation with Macy she hadn't even heard him enter. Then again, she didn't actually think that Sokka would look for her either, let alone _find_ her. How he managed this with such terrible weather is beyond her. Peering down at her friend in slight fear, Larissa whispers to the water-filled bowl.

"…Macy," she says, "…I'll have to talk to you later…"

The dark-haired teen doesn't say anything. Doing…whatever it is she does… she disappears from sight. Five seconds later the water turns from purple-rimmed fog back into clear liquid. Meanwhile, Sokka stares down at the bowl in terror.

"Uh, Hana…"

Her face buried in the palms of her hands, she speaks to the Water Tribe boy. "Sit down, Sokka. I have something to tell you."

"What?!" he exclaims. "That you're some kind of witch?!"

She can't suppress a chuckle. "No. Not that."

Shocked fear subsiding, the Water Tribe boy does as she says and takes a seat against the cave wall. Hesitantly Larissa walks over and sits down next to him.

"Okay," he says calmly. "Whatever you want to tell me, now's the time to say it. Something's going on and I want to know."

"And you're going to know. I've been hiding for far too long, and it's time for me to tell someone the truth."

Arching a brow in puzzlement, he asks, "The truth about what?"

Shifting positions, she looks him directly in the eye as she says these next few words. "The truth about who I am." She pauses slightly before saying, "My name's not Hana. It's Larissa Fredrickson."

* * *

One Hour Later

Somewhere within the hour the two of them managed to get a little fire going. By what means Sokka doesn't know. He's much too shocked by Hana's—no— by _Larissa's _story to focus on anything else. Her tale is so strange and so outlandish that it can't possibly be true. Yet, he knows that it is; every bit of it. It doesn't seem possible, but in the end, it makes perfect sense. Somehow the idea that she's from another world that doesn't have any bending makes everything about this girl click into place. Her light-colored hair, not being able to read their writing, assuming herself to be a nonbender, it all fits into her explanation flawlessly. Really, the fact that he found her in the middle of the Southern Water Tribe wilderness passed out and wearing strange clothes makes this seem true all by itself.

Yet, Sokka still has a very difficult time grasping the concept. Massaging his temples, he glances over at the girl. She's the same person as before, yet she seems entirely different at the same time.

"Okay, Larissa, let me see if I have this straight— You're from another world where bending doesn't exist. You should technically still be there, but because the Intatar spirit was banished into your dimension fourteen-hundred years ago and reborn inside of you, you are now here in our world because Avatar Wan sent for you so that you can help save us all. Is this correct?"

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she gazes into the fire without looking up at him. "Yeah, Sokka. That's about it."

"I don't believe it," he says simply. There's a long moment of silence before he continues. "If your names not really Hana and you're not really from the Earth Kingdom, then why didn't you just tell us? It might have taken some convincing but we would've believed you, Larissa."

The girl, _Larissa_, gives a short laugh. "Believed me? You would've believed if I would've come right out and told you that I'm here from another dimension? Sokka, that sounds crazy!"

Sokka shrugs. "Yeah, it does sound crazy, but it makes sense. Actually, now that you've told me this, a lot of things make sense now that didn't before."

Curious, Larissa looks up at him in surprise. Crawling over closer, she asks, "Really? What things specifically?"

"Well, the fact that you can airbend for one. If you're from another world without bending and came here, then it only makes sense that your bending would develop later; your bending doesn't come from linage like ours does. The fact that the other airbenders were wiped out doesn't affect your airbending abilities at all, because it has nothing to do with heritage."

Larissa nods. "True. I guess that does make sense, doesn't it?"

"Yeah!" Sokka exclaims cheerfully. "And your hair. It may look strange here, but I bet it doesn't where you're from."

"No, it doesn't. I've met so many other people with my color hair that it doesn't even faze me. There are far too many blondes to count."

"Blonde?"

She nods. "Yeah. It's the name for my hair color."

"See. I was right again!" Pausing, another thought occurs to him. "And about that strange book with the writing Aang found. It's yours isn't it? You weren't illiterate when you came here at all! You just couldn't read our writing because ours is different!"

Larissa laughs. "Right again. Only, to be honest, your writing does exist in my world. The only reason I couldn't read it when I first came here is because I'm from a country that speaks a different language and has a different alphabet."

The mention of not just another world, but a world with different countries that are unique from each other, spikes Sokka's interest more than it had before. "Just out of curiosity," he asks, "how many different countries are there in your world?"

"I'm not sure, but I know there are a lot of them," Larissa replies. "And the best part is that each one has their own unique culture, language, and heritage. There are no two countries that are exactly alike."

Smiling, Sokka asks, "What country are you from?"

A look of pride crosses her face at the mention of her nation. "I'm from the United States of America. It's not the hugest country from my world; that's Russia. But still, my country is pretty big. And it's different, too."

Sokka arches his brow. "Different how?"

"America doesn't just have one language and one culture. My nation is a nation of immigrants. People from all over the world with different languages, cultures, and backgrounds come to my country and live. Even if I am from the United States of America, I'm not just an American. My mom told me that I'm German, Irish, British, and Native American."

He simply stares at her for a moment in awe. "Wow. This world doesn't have a country like that. The Nations here are just…split." Then, suddenly, something Larissa had just said hits him. "Wait a second— who did you say told you that?"

Biting down on her lip, she replies, "My mother. She told me."

Watching her closely, he has a feeling that he just learned another new piece of information. "You aren't really an orphan, are you?"

"No," the Intatar admits slowly. "I have a mom and three younger sisters. Their names are Sarah, Amy, and Darcy."

Arching his brow, he asks, "A mother and three sisters? What about your father?"

Stoking the fire, she simply shrugs. "My father left. He had some wild dreams of being an actor, so left for the big city of New York and never looked back. I haven't seen him in almost five years now."

Surprised, Sokka gawks at the girl feeling bewilderment and indignation. "What? Your father just left your mom with four children all alone? Men don't just run off and leave their families! There's no honor in that!"

Larissa gives a harsh laugh. "You think the majority of the men in my country care? Well they don't. Believe me when I say that I'm not alone. I know a lot of people at my school who don't fathers. It's just the way of things."

"Larissa, that's crazy. That_ can't_ be the way of things. Once a man has a wife and a family he stays with them. Men aren't supposed to get married, have children, get bored, and leave them alone to support themselves."

The girl gives a soft smile at the boy's words. "I'm really glad to hear you say that, Sokka. Maybe I should bring you back to America with me and have you knock some sense into them."

Sokka returns her smile. "I'd be glad to. Believe me."

A long moment of silence passes them by as they look at each other. Without speech the only sounds that can be heard are the crackling of the fire and the heavy downpour of last Sokka speaks again.

"You know, Larissa, you know all about my world but I know almost nothing about yours. Since we have so much time, I'd like you to make it your personal mission to tell me everything about your dimension."

The blonde-headed girl arches her brow. "Really?"

"Really." A second later he adds, "Is it okay if you start with your writing, because I have no idea how it works."

Chuckling, she digs through her bag until finding a pen and a stray piece of paper. "Sure. Why not?"

Uncapping her pen, she scribbles letters across the top of it. Having not the slightest idea what she could be writing, he waits for her to finish. Once Larissa is done she hands the paper to him. Sokka, however just remains confused. Written in the top's center are five letters.

"Okay, I don't get it? What's this supposed to say?"

She gives him a small smile. "That's your name in English writing: _Sokka_."

* * *

Several hours pass as Larissa tells Sokka everything about her home. She tells him about her family, about the history of her country, the layout of her government, the girl answers every one of his questions and more. Of course, this is after she shows him the alphabet and explains English writing to him. Now, to her surprise, he actually wants to learn how to read her writing.

"Why?" Larissa had asked him. "We're in this world. The skill is useless here."

"I know, but I still want to learn," Sokka had replied.

It is at this moment that Larissa knew that he meant what he said. Despite the pointlessness of it all, Sokka wants to learn how to read and write in her language. Even if it seems strange to Larissa, she's still flattered. Not just does he believe everything she's told him, but he's embracing it. The best part, however, is having Sokka call her by her name. Not Hana, but _Larissa_. Its one thing coming from Macy's mouth over the converse-bowl, but coming from Sokka her name somehow seems entirely different. It feels liberating not having to hide who she is anymore.

Larissa can still hear as the rain pours down from outside. It's getting late and it still hasn't stopped yet. They'd both hoped that it would let up so they could go find Aang and Katara, but that obviously won't happen. Even if it did happen, it's much too late now and both Sokka and the girl are getting tired. The fact that they're both laying on either side of the fire curled up makes this easily known. Finally feeling comfortable, Larissa is actually about ready to nod off. However, the person across from her stops this from happening. Even so, she doesn't mind it in the least.

"Larissa?" Sokka asks hesitantly.

Sitting up, she replies with, "Yeah, Sokka?"

Getting on his hands and knees, the Water Tribe boy crawls to the other side of the fire and gets closer to the otherworldly girl. To Larissa's surprise, this doesn't bother her either.

"I just want to say…thanks. You know, for telling me everything. I'm glad that you trust me."

Gazing over at the boy, she smiles softly. "You're welcome, Sokka. Just so you know if I told anyone about who I am and where I'm from, I'm glad that I told you."

The two exchange smiles one more time before falling asleep. To each of their surprises' they fall asleep in each other's arms. Of course, since neither of them protests, neither of them moves. It is only now after everything has happened that Larissa remembers what episode this is. How she didn't remember before she doesn't know. It's now, however, that a new thought comes to surface.

If she and Sokka are here and Aang and Katara are off somewhere else, then what happens to the fisherman?

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that's the chapter! The secret's out! So tell me. What do you think? I'm curious. I appreciate your reviews! Also, the songs Larissa was singing in this chapter were "The Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas and "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan. Those are my two favorite Disney movies, so I had to include those songs! Well, until next time! Next time is "The Blue Spirit". For all of you Zuko fans out there, it will finally be time for a huge moment including our favorite scarred Fire Prince! :)**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Okay, I really have nothing much to say about this chapter except for one thing. Do you know how we haven't seen too much of Zuko since Larissa's visions and the episode the Airbending Scroll? Well, for you Zuko fans the wait is over! After an extremely long wait we're about to see some significant interaction with our favorite Fire Nation Prince! Also, if you paid close attention during the end of the "Imprisoned" chapter and toward the beginning of the "Winter Solstice" part 2 chapter, then the way this chapter ends might look very familiar ;).**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender_

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Two Days Later

_Mom,_

_ Did I ever tell you how much better things are now that I told Sokka everything? At first I was wondering if it was for worse or for better, but now I'm certain that it's for better. If I had to share this secret with anyone, then I'm glad I shared it with Sokka. We've had so much to talk these past couple days. Really, it's nice that he's so interested in our world. One of these days I'm planning on contacting Macy so that Sokka can meet her under better circumstances. I told him about how she's my best friend and helped send me here. The whole experience would be a very interesting one. Of course, before that happens we really should tell Aang and Katara everything too. Our only fear is that they'll think we're pulling a prank, and that they won't believe us. _

_ No matter. That's another concern for another day. We'll tell Aang and Katara when we tell them and that's that. For now I have another concern. Do you know my plan regarding Zuko? It's time. _

_ Your very frightened and currently praying daughter,_

_ Larissa _

* * *

It's only been a little over two days since the storm, and the group of four is still camping out near the dock. They'd wanted to leave this afternoon, but Larissa had told them all no; not yet. There is something very important Larissa needs to buy, and she needs to buy it alone. Even without herself and Sokka, Aang and Katara had gone out to rescue that fisherman. Now ever since this morning Katara has been coughing, making the blond-haired girl's errand all the more important.

Five copper pieces tucked into the folds of her airbender robes, Larissa gazes across the street from where she stands struggling to read the sign. It takes a very long moment or two, but at last she makes it out: _Apothecary_. Nervous all of the sudden, the pale-faced girl bites her bottom lip. Breathing in deep, she slowly makes her way across the street and toward the said building. Placing her palm against course wood, she pauses before opening the door.

_"Do I really want to do this?"_ she asks herself.

Sighing, the Intatar answers the question aloud. "Do it, Larissa. It's for the greater good."

Her last walls of resistance crumbling, the fifteen-year-old forces open the door. Stepping inside, she's instantly hit in the face with the aromas of plants, potions, and herbs letting her know that she'd read the sign right. Looking around the tiny wooden enclosure, Larissa sees vases containing plants sitting along the walls. Higher up lying on shelves are little containers most likely containing different types of curing mixtures. By the looks of this place, they should have exactly what she's after.

Off toward the back of the room Larissa notices a woman who appears to be in her early sixties. Beside her watering a plant is a much younger woman in her mid twenties. Hearing someone enter their shop, they turn to face the girl. Upon seeing their newest customer, they smile and make their way over to her.

"Good morning and welcome to our humble shop," says the older woman. "What can my niece and I do for you today?"

Looking up at the woman, who has a startling shade of hazel eyes, Larissa responds vaguely. "Uh, yeah, I was wondering…do you happen to sell a certain type of root I'm looking for? It's small; you can either eat it plain or make it into tea. I'm sorry, but I forgot the name."

Not having the slightest idea what she's talking about, the woman and her niece exchange befuddled glances. Then, as if striking some sudden realization, their eyes fill up with a combination of surprise, fear, and sympathy. Panicking slightly, they turn to Larissa who is now just as mystified as them.

"Oh, my poor dear girl! Of course you can have the root you're looking for! In fact, you don't even have to pay for it. It's on us." Turning to her niece, she commands, "Ying, get the Malbaine root and get it fast!"

Furrowing her brow in uncertainty, Larissa coughs up a response. "Uh…thanks?"

"Oh, don't you feel awkward my dear! Not one bit! I was in the same situation myself once. Scared to death I was too, so I'm certain that you must be."

"Right…" Larissa stops before asking, "Ma'am, just out of curiosity, what kind of root are you selling me?"

"A Malbaine root; it terminates prematurely developed fetuses and prevents pregnancy. Isn't that what you're after?"

Terrified by the woman's suggestion, the young Intatar starts to protest immediately. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! _Heck no!_ I'm sorry ma'am, but that isn't what I meant _at all_! The root I'm looking for is used for preventing illnesses. You know the coughing sneezing kind?"

Eyes widening in realization of the misunderstanding, the lady turns toward her niece once more. "False alarm, Ying! Bring out the Valvabaine root instead!" Chuckling, she looks to Larissa. "I'm sorry, dear. We've gotten so many visits like that that we just assumed."

Feeling a tad bit disturbed, not to mention offended, Larissa nods. "Right. Of course. So how much for the Valvabaine root?"

"That will be three copper pieces, dear heart."

A second later Ying comes from the back of the shop carrying a small purple root in one hand a blue one in the other. The purple root Larissa instantly recognizes as the Valvabaine root. Pulling three copper pieces from the folds of her robes, she hands them to the older woman in exchange for the mauve plant.

"Thank you very much," Larissa says politely. "This is all I needed."

Turning, the pale-faced girl is ready to dash outside and away from here. However, Ying's Aunt stops her.

"Wait! Hold on, young missy." Gesturing to her niece, she hands her the other root of the azure pigment. Once she has it, she shoves the plant directly into Larissa's arms. "You'd better take the Malbaine root, too. A pretty girl like you can never be too careful."

Face turning the color of a tomato, Larissa sighs with embarrassment. "Gee," she spats with sarcasm. "Thanks."

Not wanting to spend a moment more in the miserable little shop, Larissa dodges out the door. As she does, she's almost one-hundred percent certain that the sound of amused laughter reaches her ears.

* * *

"There you are, Hana," the waterbender says cheerfully as she wanders into camp. "I was wondering when you'd be back."

Hiding the humiliating lump of the Malbaine root inside of her robes, the blonde-haired girl saunters over to her Water Tribe friend. Luckily this is the only root Larissa has to worry about. Knowing that she has to build up her Immune System as quickly as possible, she'd eaten the Valvabaine root on the way here. As if the universe has suddenly decided to support her, Katara releases a vicious fit of coughs. Worried for her companion Larissa rushes over to her and starts patting her back.

"Katara, are you okay?"

The fit having ended, the tribal girl smiles. "Don't worry. It's just a little cough. I'm fine."

Larissa nods, feeling unconvinced. Meanwhile, Katara speaks out once again.

"What took you so long? You've never been that long in town before."

The fifteen-year-old shrugs. "I guess I had trouble reading some of the signs. I'm still pretty new at the whole 'reading' thing."

"Oh. I can understand that. But, hey, you figured it out. That's good!"

Larissa can't help but smile at the thought. "Yeah. I guess I did figure it out."

Kneeling, the two girls stop their useless jabbering and begin folding clothes. Within the hour they want to be in the back of Appa's saddle flying through the sky, so gathering up their belongings is a necessary chore. Still, being women, the two can't help but prattle.

"Where were you and Sokka during the storm?" asks Katara out of the blue. "I don't think you ever told me."

Focused on the task at hand, Larissa replies simply. "We needed to get out of the rain, so we took shelter in a cave somewhere and talked."

Hearing this Katara chuckles. "Really? That's what Aang and I had to do. Can you believe that storm? It was terrible!"

"Yeah," Larissa agrees. "It _was_ terrible. It seemed more like a hurricane than a storm!"

Finished folding, Larissa and Katara stand up. Walking over toward Appa, the girls ready themselves to store the clothing on his saddle and go back for the food and the sleeping bags. With Sokka and Aang busy getting water and taking down the tent, this leaves them to do these other tasks alone. Climbing up high onto the creature, Larissa calls down to Katara who holds both folded stacks.

"Okay, Katara, pass them up."

Nodding, the braided fourteen-year-old gives the stacks to her as she reaches for them. Grabbing them easily, the light-haired girl packs them away. So distracted is she by this task, however, that she doesn't notice as the familiar lump of the Malbaine root vanishes from beneath her robes due to the movement. Although, when she does notice, it is far too late, for the blue-tinted plant lies directly at the waterbender's feet in full view. Stunned by this, the blue-clad female bends over to pick it up. The entire time Larissa watches helplessly.

"Katara no! Wait! It's not what you think!"

Katara cautiously observes the root with curious blue eyes until, at last, her eyes widen. "Hana…" she asks, "is this…"

Face turning scarlet, Larissa jumps to defend herself. "No it is not! This is a mistake!"

Katara, astonishment painting over her features, looks at the plant and then up at Larissa. A second later astonishment transforms into complete and utter horror. Turning her head slightly to the side Larissa watches as Katara stares at her brother in terror as he takes down the tent. Shivering, Katara release the Malbaine root and lets it fall to the ground before gaping up at the pale-faced girl in shock. At last the Water Tribe girl puts a hand to her forehead, as if having a sudden migraine.

"Uh…Hana…I'm feeling a little dizzy. I'll be…resting…near the woods if you need me."

The words being spoken, the girl sprints in the direction of the forest faster than Larissa thought she could moves. Embarrassed beyond belief, she leaps down off of Appa and calls after her.

"Katara, wait! Please! Just let me explain!"

"No thanks, Hana. Believe me. I **_don't _**want to know."

Face turning beet red, Larissa suddenly realizes that she's never felt more humiliated in her entire life. Angry all of the sudden, she walks over to the root and begins to stomp on it. Not just a regular stomp either. A stomp like the Malbaine root is a rat in a kitchen and she's trying to exterminate it.

"Gah! You stupid root! I hate you! I hate you! Gah, I hate you!"

Noticing all of the commotion, Sokka looks up from his place near the tent. Off to his left near the forest, looking dizzy and sickly green, is his baby sister. Leaning against a tree, she looks about ready to lose her lunch. Larissa, on the other hand, is off somewhere to his right over by Appa. Oddly enough, she just so happens to be stomping on the ground like a madwoman putting out a forest fire.

_"What is she doing?"_ Sokka asks himself. _"Tenderizing the ground?"_

Confused, Sokka turns to Aang who had been helping him take down the tent.

"Uh…Aang?" asks the Water Tribe boy. "Did you see what just happened?"

The twelve-year-old looks around at the scene, just as perplexed. "Nope. Not at all."

* * *

The Next Day

Sighing deeply, Larissa looks down at the abandon town from her place beside the decaying temple's window. A large part of her was hoping that this day would never come. Of course, in order for everything she's been planning to work, it had to. Now that the time is finally here there can be no turning back. The more Larissa wants to skip out the more she has to remind herself of this one thing: None of this is about her. This is about protecting the world. Running a small pale hand through her wheat-colored ringlets nervously, she stares over at Sokka and Katara who are hacking and coughing from their sleeping bags.

Just as Larissa had predicted yesterday, Katara was the first person to fall ill. Then, just this morning, Sokka became infected as well. The only two left standing are herself and the Avatar. However, just a few minutes ago, the little monk had released a bout of suspicious sounding coughs. Seeing all of her friends getting sick hurts Larissa deeply, but she knows that it's necessary. Also, despite the humiliation she had to endure, she also knows that the Valvabaine root was worth every copper piece. Not once has the slightest symptom come to face her.

Suddenly, just as the Intatar had been expecting, another round of coughing comes from the tattooed boy. Knowing that she can't hold back any longer, Larissa walks over to him.

"Aang," says Larissa, "I really think that you should rest. Whether you want to admit it or not, you're getting sick."

Done coughing for now, Aang jumps to defend himself. "What? No I'm not. I never get sick!"

"Aang, you need to be honest with yourself. Katara and Sokka started out the same way, and now look at them. Katara's convinced that she's the Fire Lady and Sokka thinks he's an earthbender!"

The two glance over at the Water Tribe siblings simultaneously. Katara, wagging a finger at Momo, orders him around from her placing snuggled against Appa's fur.

"I told you that I want my mangoes! Fetch them for me now, servant!"

Sokka, laying just a few feet away from her isn't in any better shape. Swinging at an object in the air being created by his own mind, he shouts out, "Take that, you rock!"

Done viewing the scene, the two airbenders turn their gazes back on each other.

"Admit it, Aang," says Larissa. "A few more hours and you'll be calling yourself the Queen of Omashu."

The Avatar is about to say something, but interrupts himself with another bout of coughing.

"Alright, that tears it," she says walking to the exit. "There's an herbalist institute at the top of the mountain. You and the others sit tight. I'm going to get some medicine."

Giving a sorrowful nod, the little monk goes over and lays against Appa's side in defeat. "Fine. I promise that I'll rest." Pausing for a second, he asks, "Do you know when you'll be back?"

Feeling as though a rock is sitting in the center of her stomach, Larissa sighs. "If things work out the way I'm hoping, I should be back before tomorrow morning."

Hearing the uncertainty in her voice, Aang eyes in her in concern. "Are you sure you want to do this, Hana? I can go if you want. I'm not that sick."

The pale-faced adolescent is already heading for the exit. "No, Aang. I _need _to do this."

* * *

Heart pounding rapidly, Larissa makes her way down the mountainside. Knowing exactly what she has to do, the girl begins her long journey to the valley swamp. Originally she was planning on going to visit the herbalist and her old lady cat, Miyuki, but then she decided against it. Already knowing that the cure is frozen wood frogs, going to see the insane elder seems pointless. Without her glider this trip is going to take long enough as it is. Then again, perhaps long is good. Whether she'll admit it to herself or not, Larissa is scared out of her mind. If the slightest thing goes wrong with her plan, then it's over.

Twiddling her thumbs, Larissa walks the rest of the way down the mountain's edge. Upon reaching its' rocky base, she notices another one just across the way. Beside that is a small green hill. On the other side of that hill is where the swamp should be. Then again, it doesn't really matter too much whether the swamp is there or not at the moment. So long as Zhao's archers can find her. Hopefully they're just as interested in the Intatar as they are in the Avatar. Then again, as quickly as the news of her return has spread since saving that town from the dam explosion, there's no way that they'd ever turn down a chance to capture the Intatar. Every other place they've been people have seen them and started referring to her as "Intatar Hana", so the fact that the news has turned practically international is undeniable.

Closing her eyes with an emotion similar to dreadful anticipation, Larissa starts up the hill. How much time passes, she doesn't know in the slightest. With her mind reeling in concern for what is to come, any concept of time is completely lost. So many things could go wrong here that could throw everything down the tubes. All it would take is one minor error. Her worst fear of course would be getting captured by Zhao and not having _The Blue Spirit_ show up to rescue her. And the more she thinks about it, the more realistic it sounds. After all, it's the Avatar that needs capturing. Zuko couldn't restore his honor with the Intatar instead, could he?

Then again, knowing the Fire Prince, he might always try. If not to capture her, then at least to blackmail her into giving away Aang's location. To be honest, there's no telling what's going to happen at this early stage of her plan. Who knows? The Yu Yan archers might not even find her important enough to capture. Her thoughts slowing down a bit, Larissa notices as she reaches the crest of the small green hill. Just like she'd originally hoped, the valley swamp lies directly at the bottom. Taking her first step, the pale-faced girl walks down the hill's other side. As she does this she makes sure to look casual as her ears perk up in attempt to hear the slightest little sound. The entire time she does this she little-by-little makes her way down to the murky water's edge. Fifteen minutes pass. By this time the Intatar is digging through the swampy water looking for frogs still without a peep to be heard.

_"Hmm,"_ Larissa thinks. _"Maybe I'm not important enough to capture after all."_

More time than before passes her by in a blur. At long last, she manages to gather up not just three, but five frogs. Carrying them awkwardly in her arms, she comes out of the marshy area and walks back in the direction of the hill. It feels like her mission has completely failed. Then, finally, it happens. _Arrows._ Anywhere between five and ten of them whir past her in a blur. So much does this startle the girl, that she drops all five frogs while releasing a loud shriek. Not so much a shriek of terror, but one of surprise.

_"Okay, I guess I spoke too soon."_

This moment, despite the scariness of it, is just the moment Larissa has been waiting for. Every ounce of her being is telling her to run. Go, run for your life, and never look back, her body tells her. Instead, however, she decides to stand and fight. While her every single intention up until now has been focused on getting captured, she doesn't want to look too suspicious. Suddenly, as if coming from nowhere, two dozen more arrows start coming at her like hail during a rainstorm. Using one of the many moves Aang has taught her, she brings up an air shield. The brunt of the assault being blocked, she creates one of the largest air balls she can muster and aims it directly for the trees. Hearing a loud _crack_, it's obvious that she hits them dead on. Of course, this doesn't help too much. Now rather than hiding the Yu Yan arches have her surrounded on every side. As this happens, the orange-clad girl shifts impulsively into an airbending stance.

"No!" Larissa shouts defensively. "You'll never take me."

Facing her palms outward she releasing a large gust of wind, that sends many of the archers tumbling backwards. Taking her opening she runs back in the direction of the valley swamp. Manipulating the air currents around her, she runs faster than the wind. Although, this is when even more arrows than before begin raining down. Not slowing her pace even for a second, the Intatar manages to dodge every one of them. That is, until one catches her by the hem of her robe. The lethal object leaving a large tear in the fabric, she is immediately sent tumbling the rest of the way down the hill and into the water. Jumping to her feet, she's ready to release another air blast. However, fortunately for the Yu Yan, they manage to stick her with their shots just in time. Using multiple arrows, they pin her arms against a log on either side of her.

"No!" she cries out. "Let me go!"

Rather than listening to the blonde-haired girl, they send a net flying her way. Completely trapped by it, Larissa knows that there's no escaping. It is now that her plan will truly go into action. Or, at least she hopes it will. If she thought that there was no going back before, then there's definitely no going back now.

* * *

"Ah, so this is the great Intatar. The supreme master of the spiritual and the all-powerful companion to the Avatar. I don't know how you've managed to return to the world after nearly a millennium-and-a-half of extinction, but either way I can tell you that your little…resurrection…is meaningless."

Admiral Zhao speaks to Larissa from across the dimly lit room. Emerging from his every word is a type of arrogant pride that only a high-ranking official in the Fire Nation army can have. Two large pillars of stone standing tall on either side of her, Larissa feels the heavy weight of the iron shackles keeping her bound to them. The metal cuffs chafe her wrists and ankles in one of the most uncomfortable fashions imaginable. However, the Intatar does her best to keep her discomfort hidden. Sensing Zhao's forebodingly mocking smirk upon her, she stares back at him defiantly.

"Meaningless?" states the girl. "Your choice of words surprises me, Admiral Zhao. If you care deeply enough to have your archers hunt me down and capture me, then I'd think my return to the world to be anything at all but _meaningless_."

Amused by her remark, the middle-aged man with the sideburns releases a sinister chuckle. "I appreciate your attempt at baiting me, _Intatar Hana_, but it won't work. See, now that you're my prisoner of course your existence is meaningless. With you locked up there isn't even the slightest chance of the Fire Nation losing the war." Zhao pauses a moment before asking, "Tell me, how does it feel to know that the whole outcome of the war depends on a teenage girl and a little boy who aren't yet fully trained to use their abilities?"

The moment the question reaches her ears, Larissa smirks boldly. All the man's trying to do is bring her down, and it is _not _going to work.

"Actually, I admit that it feels pretty good. With the Avatar and I working together, we can undoubtedly win this war. The Fire Nation knows this as well. Why else would you be trying so hard to capture us?"

This doesn't cause the man's delight to die down in even the tiniest increment. "You know, you sound exactly like a teenager; that's why I don't have any."

Why Larissa says what she says here, she doesn't exactly know. Her only guess is that after making so many jabs at her, not to mention the jabs at Zuko that were witnessed in the TV series, the pale-faced girl simply cannot help herself.

"Right…" says Larissa. "_That's_ the reason why you don't have teenagers. Tell me, does your wife feel the same way, or don't you have one of those either?"

It is here that any type of smile or scornful amusement vanishes. In its' place is a deep and menacing scowl. "I wouldn't be so hostile if I were you. You're going to be stuck here for a good long time. There's no escaping this fortress, and no one is coming to rescue you."

Done dealing with this smart-mouthed adolescent for now, Zhao turns on his heel and exits the large enclosure. Only when he's gone does Larissa allow her panicked and frightened emotions to show themselves. Zhao is wrong. He must be wrong. Somebody is too coming to rescue her. Or... at least this is what she hopes…

* * *

After Zhao had left her, Larissa had stayed alone in this dimly lit confinement chamber for several hours. Exactly how many hours passed, the blonde-haired girl has no idea. Being locked in a room with no windows and a single metal door, there's no way to tell how much time passes. Although, Larissa supposes that this doesn't much matter. Either way she goes back and forth between doing three things: Staring at the pools of light left on the wall by the torches, angrily pulling at her bonds, and awkwardly dozing. Once it feels like a certain amount of time has passes the girl starts to question whether or not Zuko is coming to free her at all. The moment this question occurs to her, it feels as though she's made the hugest mistake in the world. And then, at long last, she hears it.

From outside the room's single door, a disturbance is heard. The disturbance would be the sound of men grunting in agony, armored bodies falling to the ground, and of the clanging metallic objects. Then without warning the noises stop. This is instantly replaced by the sound of the door coming unlocked, followed by the heavy metal creaking open. A second later a figure dressed entirely in black wearing a blue mask steps inside, wielding a set of twin blades. Larissa fights a smile at the sight.

_"Yes! He came! My plan is working! I haven't gone through all of this torture for nothing!"_ she cheers internally. And then she adds, _"I'll live another day to explain the Malbaine root incident to Katara!"_

Just as Larissa had been expecting, the masked Fire Prince charges her. Only, she doesn't scream like Aang had done in _The Blue Spirit_ episode. Instead she waits for the moment when he cuts the chains apart from the pillars. Once that happens, he brings down his swords again in order to separate the horribly chaffing cuffs from her wrists and ankles. Feeling relieved at being separated from her bonds, she rubs each of her wrists delicately.

"Uh…thanks…" she says in attempt to play stupid. "So…you're here to rescue me?"

Zuko, hidden beneath the Blue Spirit mask, walks over and opens the door. Before exiting completely he motions for the Intatar to follow, answering her question. Knowing already that the scarred prince has no intention to harm her, she follows willingly. Upon leaving the room, Larissa spots two Fire Nation soldiers lying tied up and beaten beside the door. Of course, this doesn't bother her in the slightest. All that matters is that her plan is working just as she'd been hoping. Not willing to risk the slightest chance of losing sight of Zuko, she moves closely beside him as they make their way down a narrow hallway.

At first she's not entirely certain where he's leading them, but she knows that it will somehow take them to that courtyard type area. A few minutes pass as they stealthily make their way through corridors and around corners until, at last, they come to some type of grating near the bottom of the wall. Squatting down, Zuko expertly removes it before crawling in. Not even waiting for him to motion to her, Larissa squats down as well and follows. Normally it would bother her that they have to go through the sewers, but right now she couldn't care less. Carefully and with much furtiveness, they systematically make their way through the sewer system. In her head, Larissa knows that it hasn't been a long time at all. However, in her gut, it feels like days have gone by in this sewer rather than minutes.

Finally, standing underneath a large overhead grating, Zuko stops. Turning slightly, he motions to Larissa before pulling himself up by one of the bars and through to the main ground. Feeling that it won't be much longer before Zhao notices she's gone, she takes one of the bars in her tiny hands and pulls up as well. Not wanting to use her airbending for fear of making noise, she does this completely on her own. Only, due to lack of upper-body strength, this is harder for her than it was for Zuko. Most likely irritated by this, he reaches down with a gloved hand and tugs her the rest of the way through by her wrist.

Nodding stiffly, she whispers in the lowest voice possible. "Thanks."

Giving a nod of his own, the masked prince takes a finger and points over to the wall in front of them. The area where they're at is very dimly lit, so scaling the wall and escaping shouldn't be a problem. Or, at least this is what Larissa is hoping for. The faster they can escape and get to talking, the better off she'll be. With a single goal in mind, the duo starts off toward the wall. A moment or so later when they're standing at its' base, Zuko tosses up a rope which catches at its' top. Tugging on it to make sure that it's secure, they begin climbing. Whether it be because of adrenaline or some hidden Intatar power Larissa isn't sure, but somehow she manages to climb the rope perfectly fine. Time passes and, to the pale-faced girl's relief, they've almost reached the top.

_"Yes!"_ Larissa cheers to herself. _"We're almost out of here! We can make it!"_

However, Larissa had spoken far too soon. Right then is when a loud and thunderous voice calls out from the balcony.

"There, on the wall!"

At the top of the wall above them a group of soldiers appears. Spotting the escapees, one of them reaches down and cuts the rope. Terrified, Larissa feels as the rope snaps and as they rapidly fall to the ground below. Airbender instincts kicking in, she slows their descent so that both of them land gently on their feet. Apparently Zuko's instincts begin kicking in too, because this is the moment that he unsheathes his swords. Together they make a futile dash for the opened gate. As they do this Larissa is able to hear Admiral Zhao's voice shouting out a command from somewhere beyond.

"The Intatar has escaped! Close all the gates immediately!"

A little more than halfway to their only exit, they both see as it begins closing. Directly in front of it a large group of red-clad soldiers stand guard.

"Dang it," says Larissa under her breath. To Zuko, she demands, "Stay close to me!"

Every one of Aang's tips and teachings taking over, she brings up the largest gust of air that she can manage and aims it directly at the soldiers. To her luck the men are easily scattered. Seeing this, she hastens for the gate which is rapidly closing. Making it just two feet away from the exit, the Intatar readies herself to leap through. Turning, she's hoping to see Zuko at her side. Of course, to Larissa's dismay, he is instead involved in a fracas with several of Zhao's men. Knowing that she can't leave here without Zuko, she reaches for her staff. It is here that she remembers the dreadful news; she left it back at the abandon town with her ill friends.

_"Great. Now what am I supposed to do?"_

Running the episode back through her mind, it comes to her memory what Aang had done in this situation. Hoping that she can perform this action just as flawlessly, she rips a spear from the hands of a nearby guard with surprising ease. Not sure of what else to do, she airbends him many feet away and knocks the head off of the spear impulsively. Happy that she once again acquires a weapon, Larissa jumps into the fighting in attempt to save Zuko; not that he needs saving. With as good of a fighter as he is, all he's really in need of is assistance. Seeing that the prince is surrounded, she brings up the biggest air blast she can muster and blows them all out of the way. Temporary staff in hand, she uses her bending abilities once again and catapults Zuko to the top of the wall.

The moment he lands Larissa sees the Fire Nation soldiers that surround him. Instinct taking over once more, coupled with preconceived knowledge from _The Blue Spirit_ episode, she uses the wooden staff as a helicopter blade and gets herself airborne. Making it up to just above the wall and down near Zuko, she calls to him.

"Grab hold of my waist!"

Immediately, the masked teen obeys her. With all of her might, she does her best to get them past the second courtyard and over to the next wall. Of course with the half-million spears being thrown their way this isn't an easy task by any means. What the girl wouldn't give for her glider right now! Somehow, beyond all reason, the two teenagers manage to make it to the second wall. Admittedly, it is by every definition a crash-landing, but indeed they make it. Larissa can't help but give herself a pat on the back at this accomplishment. However, it then occurs to her that congratulating herself will have to wait.

Like the several times before they are being surrounded by soldiers. Not only that, but her temporary staff has been lost. Not wanting to take the time to mourn over her vanished weapon, Larissa uses several air blasts to knock the surrounding soldiers off of the wall. Two seconds later the space around them is completely empty. Though, this doesn't last long. Down below are more of the men yet. Using scaling ladders, they do their best to ascend the wall.

"Ugh!" complains Larissa aloud. "It never ends!"

As they near the top of the wall the orange-clad girl rushes over to the nearest ladder where she knocks them off with a harsh air blast. Going over to the next one, she repeats this action. Really she feels slightly guilty stealing all of Aang's ideas, but with the situation they're in there's not much of a chance to be creative. Grabbing the two scaling ladders, the light-headed girl sprints over to where the Fire Prince has just cleared off the third one. Leaping onto it without hesitation, she shoves the objects his way and calls out to him.

"Here, take this! Jump on my back!"

Frightened a bit that this might not work as well as it had in the show, she braces as it begins tipping. Hastily, she motions to the young man behind the Blue Spirit mask.

"Hand me the next one!"

Zuko unsurprisingly complies with her request and hands it to her. When the use of the second ladder is terminated, he gives her the last and final one without her even asking for it. Seeing the next wall getting closer with every movement, anticipation starts to set in. Then, just as Larissa had been dreading, one of the soldiers' attempts setting fire to the final stilt. Panic setting in, Larissa shouts.

"Oh no you don't!"

Turning just enough, she gives him a massive air blast to the face. Keeping the wooden object completely intact, they actually make it onto the last wall. Just beyond this are the outside world and their ticket to freedom.

_"Wow!"_ says Larissa in surprise. _"That actually worked out better than on the show!"_

Knowing that there's nothing else that they can do from here Larissa goes over and stands on the wall's edge. More soldiers are coming up on them fast. Seeing this, she shouts out to Zuko.

"Grab on to me! This is the only way we're getting out of here!"

Without the slightest hint of uncertainty, the boy with the hidden amber eyes circles her waist. Before she has a chance to change her mind about this potentially deadly action, she shifts into an airbending stance and leaps off. The air rushing past her in a whir, she forms the largest air ball she can in order to soften their blow. Luckily, because her many hours of practice and training under Avatar Aang, they make it. They land sprawled out among the bushes and are a tad bit sore, but either way they make it. Understanding that Zhao and his men are probably on their way out of the enclosure to search for them right now, the Intatar leaps to her feet. Zuko knows this too, because he jumps up from the ground as well.

Not caring about keeping her preconceived knowledge hidden any longer, she speaks to the Fire Prince by name. "Come on, Zuko! We have to get out of here quick! Let's head for the woods!"

* * *

An Hour Later

The light of the full moon shines brightly over a forest teeming with nightlife. With the stars glimmering around the illuminated orb as well as shining against the inky black canopy the sight couldn't look quainter. Larissa could stay here and enjoy the sight all night. However, she knows that she can't. Not right now.

It has taken a whole forty-five minutes, but somehow she and Zuko had managed to escape Zhao's pursuing men. Still afraid that they could be lurking somewhere, the duo hesitantly sticks their heads up from the bushes they'd been taking cover in. Over the course of their time together, the scarred firebender still hasn't removed his mask. Then again, this comes as no surprise to Larissa. Hearing nothing but the rustling of leaves and the chirping of crickets, the Intatar puts her head out further. There are no soldiers and no other humans to be seen. Relieved by the sight, she steps out of their hiding place. For about thirty seconds she is extremely afraid that the armored men are going to ambush her and recapture her. Although, when nothing happens, she gives a thankful sigh.

"Praise the spirits," she whispers under her breath. To Zuko she says, "You can come out now, Zuko. They've given up the search. I think we're safe."

Hesitantly he comes out from the bush as well. Walking toward the blue-eyed girl, he unties the strings of his mask and removes it. "You can't just think that we're safe. You have to _know_."

The girl gives a light-hearted shrug. "In that case, I _know_ that we're safe. Everything's okay. We can talk now."

Sighing, he looks up at the girl with golden irises that look both curious and livid. "I don't understand. How did you know it was _me_ behind the mask?"

Whether Larissa realizes it or not, her own eyes turn relatively cunning. "Because I'm just that good."

Ozai's son shakes his head at her. "Don't play games with me, _Intatar_ Hana. There's more to it than that. You knew it was me the whole time, and still you decided to trust me. Why in Agni's name would you do that?"

Getting a step closer at the question, she replies, "Why in _Lianmin's_ name would you rescue me if you know that I might be the key to the Fire Nation losing the war? Answer that question and I might be tempted to answer yours."

His gaze filled with boiling hot anger, he simply stares at her for a minute unmoving. Although she probably could, Larissa doesn't move either. A moment or so later Zuko pulls out his set of dual swords, doing his best to pin Larissa to the ground.

"I don't know if you recall this or not, but we have some unfinished business. If I remember correctly I had you and the Avatar in custody at the South Pole and you escaped. Normally I would let you go, but seeing as you're the Avatar's Intatar companion, I think I'll take advantage. You're very existence is such a rare occurrence, I bet that my father would love to see you among his prisoners in chains."

Ready to become neither a victim nor a prisoner, she gives the largest air blast that she can possibly give. This sudden gust of wind sends Zuko's weapons flying. Using the air currents around her, Larissa does a back flip and manages to regain her footing. While in the air, she rips off the branch of a nearby tree. Feeling long, sturdy, and straight, it is shaped much like a staff.

"I wouldn't mess with me too much, Zuko. Let me assure you that I can hold my own in fight."

Wanting to prove her words to be true, the young airbender whips up an extremely thin shaft of air. Aiming it at a tree, she cuts it in half horizontally and sends it crashing down. Within the same swipe this also happens with several others. Meanwhile, the banished prince gawks at the sight clearly impressed.

"So it's true. You have come close to mastering airbending."

"Yes. And I know how to use my abilities. Aang has taught me well."

Turning away from the wreckage to face her, he shoots the Intatar a sharp glare. "How well? You still don't seem _that_ incredibly skilled."

Pointing her makeshift staff in his direction, she replies, "However new, I can still defend myself. Last time I went with you because the safety of others was at stake, but not this time."

"Fine. Then I guess you leave me no choice."

Retrieving his swords with excellent skill, he wields them before staring her down. At long last he takes a swipe. Ducking, the sharp edges miss Larissa, but just barely.

"What do you want me for, anyway?" asks Larissa. "I may be the Intatar, but Aang is far more powerful than I am."

Zuko locks eyes with her. "The Avatar is still a prime concern of mine. It's just that, now, so are you."

"Why? I'm exactly the same person, only I can bend two elements. What is there that you see?"

He takes another swipe at her. Frightened at the thought of being stabbed, she leaps back several feet.

"You may be the Intatar, but there's s so much about you that still doesn't make sense. I've spent many nights thinking it over, you know. You're a decent liar, but not that decent because I can tell you've lied to everyone. The orphanage was nothing but an elaborate cover-up wasn't it?"

Larissa pauses for a moment, the shock hitting her. How in the name of Momo would he ever figure that out? Peering up at Zuko, he wears a satisfied expression.

"My words are true. I can tell by your face, _airbender_."

Holding back her emotions, Larissa gives a shrug. "You don't know anything, Zuko. All you know is what you assume to be true."

Catching her completely off guard, Zuko tosses his dual swords to the ground and lunges at the girl. Moving quickly, he grabs her, twists her arm above her head, and pins her against a large-trunked tree all in a single motion.

"Who are you, Hana?" Zuko asks in a low and menacing whisper. "Who are you really?"

Being stretching into such an awkward position, Larissa grits her teeth together in the minor pain that shoots through her shoulder. She wants to do nothing but shout at him at the truthful accusations, but then it comes to her. The entire reason that she went and got captured by Zhao was so that she could talk to Zuko. Now the moment has come; perhaps the only moment. It is because of this that, rather than taking the bait, she puts up a different argument. Lifting her head, she looks the prince boldly in the eye.

"You're asking _me_ that question?" she says daringly. "What about you? Who are _you_ really? Are you really trying to capture Aang in order to restore your honor or are you doing it because you feel forced?"

The teenager visibly scowls. Obviously angered at her question, he gets so close to her that they're almost touching. As he speaks she can feel his heated breath against the bare skin of her neck and face. "What are you talking about?"

"It's your father, Fire Lord Ozai. He says that he will restore your honor if you capture the Avatar, but will he really? Think about it, Zuko. He's only using you. A terrible person like him will probably end up destroying the world some day. The smart thing would be to forget your father and follow your own path. You may be his son, but that doesn't mean you're required to listen to him."

Not moving back from her a single inch, he shouts at her. "Enough of your lies, filthy peasant! You don't know what you're saying!"

Cocking her head to the side, she doesn't let up in the slightest. "I think I do. You, Prince Zuko, are letting an awful ruthless man control you when instead you could be splitting apart from him and changing the world for the better."

Zuko tightens his grip on the girl's wrist, giving a harsh laugh. "Ha! Changing the world for the better? When I capture you and Aang I'll be doing just that."

Breathing deeply, Larissa speaks the only words she knows how. "Are you sure about that, Zuko?" she asks. "In the end, a person can't tell their own destiny. Not even myself or the Avatar."

It is only now that Zuko takes a step or two away from her. Before releasing her wrist, he flings her to the ground. "Stop it! Stop it now! You might think that I'm on your side, but it isn't true. I'm the son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne. As such, it is my duty to capture the Avatar and the Intatar and to put an end to this war once and for all."

"No it's not," Larissa pleads from her place on the ground. "You have good inside of you and a desire to do what's right. Believe me, Zuko, I know you. You'd be much happier joining Team Avatar than you ever would be back at the Fire Nation Palace. You could teach Aang…and possibly me…firebending and put an end to this war the right way."

Prince Zuko towers above Larissa and gazes down at her seething. Without warning, he shoots the largest flames imaginable from his fingertips aimed directly for the sky. So surprised was she by this action that she jumped to her feet and ran out of the way. Despite the fact that the blow wasn't aimed at her, the need to dodge overwhelmed the girl. Although, so intense were her movements that Katara's hairclip tumbled from her hair. Now, rather than a neat knot tied at the back of her head, she has two messy braids falling down on either side separate from the rest of her hair.

"_Leave_," says the prince flatly.

Noticing the tension in his gait Larissa risks getting a step closer. "But, Zuko—"

Turning one-hundred and eighty degrees around, he shoots out another flame. This time, however, it actually is aimed at the girl. "I said _leave_!"

Using her airbending, Larissa jumps up high into the trees. Going from branch to branch, she does exactly that. What the Intatar doesn't see, however, is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation staring down at the ground. Leaving a trail from his deep amber eyes, down his cheeks, leading all the way to the tip of his chin are bright watery tears. Lifting his head up in the direction of this sky, he releases a large flame from his mouth while screaming loudly into the night.

"**GAH**!"

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, I know that the Zuko moment probably wasn't as long as you wanted, but we will be seeing more of him in the future. For the most part my fanfiction has to do with the Intatar and the Gaang anyhow. Zuko might not be playing a huge major role until book two which I've titled "Emergence". Also, I know this is extremely off topic, but the whole time I was writing this chapter I was thinking of Spongebob. Specifically "The Camping Episode." One of the lines I inserted actually came from that episode. Does anybody know which line that was? I'm just curious. If you think you know, please tell me! Well, that's all for now. Until my next update! :)**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Okay, I know that this is way past my normal update time. With college starting in a mere two weeks and with my internet down at home, I haven't been able to do much updating at all. However, I have managed to sneak down to the library in order to post this chapter. This chapter is "The Fortuneteller" episode. I beg you to enjoy, because I don't know how much time I'm going to have on my hands once college starts. Just one or two updates a month might even be a stretch... Even so, I will try to update as often as I can. Well, that's all for now. This chapter might not be nearly as interesting as the previous, but either way I still poured my heart out into this one. Tell me what you think! :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, nor will I ever._

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Five Days Later

"Okay, I don't get it. I wrote the sentence exactly the same way you did in our writing: _They at the mangoes off of 'there' mango tree._ What could there possibly be wrong with this sentence?"

Reading the sentence over once again, Larissa points to the word "there".

"There's nothing wrong with the sentence, Sokka. Everything is spelled right and your handwriting is great. You just used the wrong 'there'."

Taking the pen from him, the blonde-haired girl puts a single line through the word. Directly above it she spells out "their" it its place. Sokka simply quirks his brow in perplexity.

"Hold on," he says. "There's more than one 'there'? That doesn't make any sense."

Larissa laughs. "No it doesn't, but it's still true. There are actually three different versions of the word."

Going beneath the sentence, she prints out the words "there", "their", and "they're" in a neat column.

"The first one," she says, "means a place, as in: _The tree is over 'there'_. The next one means a person who owns something, like _'their house'_ or _'That's their ostrich-horse.'_ That last one, that one doesn't mean anything. It's just a contraction for the words _'they are'_."

"Wow," states Sokka in surprise. "That is the single most confusing thing I have ever heard a person say."

Again the girl chuckles. "Believe me, I know. I used to hear it from my English teachers all the time."

Looking at her from the other side of their forest rock-table, Sokka returns her smile. "You know, I'm starting to feel kind of duped. You never told me that learning English writing would be so hard!" He exclaims in jest.

"Hey, I told you before that the skill is useless here. Nobody's forcing you to do this."

The Water Tribe boy nods. "I know, but still. I said that I wanted to learn everything there is to know about where you're from. Learning your writing is one way of doing that."

The airbending girl can't suppress a grin. "Well, I'm flattered that you'd put yourself through such torture to learn about my dimension. Once we tell Aang and Katara about me, maybe they'll want to learn too and I can open up my own classroom."

The two smiles for a moment and then silence ensues. Eventually it is the boy sporting the warrior's-wolf-tail that breaks this silence.

"Larissa," says Sokka, "Just out of curiosity, when were you planning on telling them?"

Knowing that the question has been coming, the girl sighs. "I don't know," she replies. "I'd like to tell them, but I'm not sure if I want to. Once they find out I don't want them telling the whole world. It's hard enough having people know that I'm the Intatar. Being known as some freak from another dimension would only draw more attention to us."

"You're not a freak, Larissa," says Sokka sympathetically. "If anything, people might actually like it; especially us nonbenders. A world where bending doesn't exist? How great is that!"

Larissa, feeling truly comforted, looks back at the boy. "Thanks, Sokka. I get what you're saying. I'm going to tell Aang and Katara who I am eventually, just not yet. I'm not ready."

Nodding, he puts a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Don't worry about me, though. Your secret is completely safe."

That being said, the two gather up their pens, brushes, and parchment off of the ground around them. Speaking of Aang and Katara, they're probably down by the lake right now waiting for them. Based on the height of the sun, they've spent far too long studying. Then again this doesn't come as a surprise to either of them, for this happens nearly every morning.

* * *

Using Katara's little hand mirror, Larissa looks at herself oddly. On each side of her head several strands of hair have been woven together in order to form two small braids. The rest of her hair, free from the bindings, hangs loose over her shoulders and back. Somewhere in front of her stands the waterbender observing her closely. Just like every other day since escaping Zhao's imprisonment and doing battle with the Fire Prince, Larissa has been trying to do something else with her hair. With the loss of favorite blue hairclip, however, this has proven to be increasingly difficult. That specific hairclip being Katara's only spare, the orange-clad girl now finds herself with nothing but two small beads given to her by Aang. Still unsure of what to do with her golden mane, she shoves one on the end of each braid in order to hold it in place.

"I don't know, Katara," says the Intatar. "It doesn't look too good this way either."

Taking the mirror from her now outstretched hand, Katara gives a small smile. "Don't be down on yourself, Hana. It looks fine."

"I guess it does, but I still miss the way I used to wear it. If only I hadn't lost your hairclip while fighting Zuko that night…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it," soothes the girl. "If it's gone, it's gone. After everything you told me I'm just glad that you were able to get back to us alive."

Larissa smirks. "Yeah. I got back alive and with the _cure_."

The brown-haired female releases a shudder at her words. "I still can't believe you made us suck on frozen frogs!"

"Hey, it worked didn't it?"

Suddenly, a loud shout from the lake distracts the girls. In the water beyond is a very determined Sokka, doing his best to capture a large green fish. Originally he had tried the much saner method of using a fishing pole. However, when this process had been too slow for him, the Water Tribe boy had decided to go dashing into the lake in some crazy attempt to catch the creature with his bare hands. Looking out toward the water, the two girls see as the emerald-colored fish struggles in Sokka's arms. Walking over beside them, Aang watches this too.

"Guys, guess what? I got it!" Sokka cheers. "Tonight we feast!"

Then, as the three of them had partially been expecting, the aquatic animal wiggles free. Slapping the hunter in the face with its' tail, it leaps back into the water and swims onward to freedom.

"Aw man!"

"It's time to give up, Sokka! You're never going to catch that thing!" Katara shouts out.

Rising up an arm in defense, the pony-tailed boy looks ready to protest. Before he does so, however, he frowns and lowers it in defeat. "Yeah, you're probably right. But mark my words; I _will _catch that fish eventually!"

Sopping wet, Sokka drags himself out of the water. As he does so an ominous sound is heard off in the distance, thus, prompting the children to run in its direction. Being first one to move, Aang spots the source of the commotion.

"Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!" Aang bellows from ahead of them.

Now being somewhere toward the middle of the woods, Larissa and the two others spot a large bear-like creature with a bill standing angrily on its hind legs. In front of the bear dodging its' blows with a calm smile is a man clad in blue.

"Hello there. Nice day, isn't it?" he says grinning.

Aang, obviously horrified at the man's predicament, calls out an idea. "Make noise it'll run off!"

"No, play dead, he'll lose interest!" Sokka suggests next.

Once again the bear swings at him. Dodging, he says, "Whoa! Close one!"

"Run downhill, then climb a tree!" shouts Katara.

Sokka calls out another suggestion. "No, punch him in the bill!"

"And then run in zigzags!" yells the Avatar.

At last Larissa manages to get in her own proposal. "Who cares what you do?" she yells. "Just get away from it before it mauls you to death!"

Meanwhile, the insane man's peaceful demeanor never vanishes. "No need. Everything is going to be fine."

Having enough of this nonsense, Aang airbends himself up over the bear's head and lands between the beast and the serene lunatic. Airbending up a wall, the large creature is pushed several feet backwards. Angry, it is about ready to strike again. However, Appa comes up behind the animal before the chance ever comes. Roaring loudly, the beast lays an egg of terror before dashing for nearby river and swimming away. Meanwhile, Sokka goes over to the bear's previous spot and picks up the egg.

"Mmm! Lunch!" Cradling the object closely, he looks over at the man as though he's some sort of escaped mental patient. Eventually he says, "Lucky for you we came along."

The man comes closer at the gangly teen's words. "Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey."

"Aunt who?" asks Aang in confusion.

"No, Aunt Wu. She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future."

Katara smiles looking impressed. "Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm."

"But the fortuneteller was wrong!" Sokka exclaims. "You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost killed!"

The man simply smiles. "But I wasn't. All right, have a good one!"

Waving in farewell he walks away. He comes back to give them the umbrella, but this all passes Larissa by. Now it's time for _this_ episode. She can't help but smile internally at the memories. Out of the entire first season this one was one of her favorites! While the girl has never put much stock into fortunetelling, Larissa can't help but be excited. The character of Meng had amused her so much, as had Aunt Wu. Although, when Katara clung to the woman and wouldn't leave her alone she couldn't help but feel sorry for her… Nonetheless, they've reached this episode now, and Larissa is happy. Besides, after what happened with Zuko five days before doesn't she deserve a little enjoyment?

* * *

The walk to Aunt Wu's village is long and excruciating. Sokka can't believe they're going out of their way just so they can go have some kind of freak psychic tell them the future. How are they even supposed to know if she's a real fortuneteller? Who knows? Whoever this lady is, her and her mystical powers might be nothing but a hoax. Being toward the back of the group he follows along reluctantly with every step. So far the only good thing about this journey is that it has given him time to dry from both the lake and the two minute rainstorm.

As he trudges along Sokka complains loudly. "I can't believe we're going to this town just so you two ladies can find out if you're going to get married to Prince Charming, or whatever, and have fifty children!"

Katara and Larissa have been jabbering excitedly about their potential life-partners for the past twenty minutes. When Larissa is spending time with him it's one thing, but when she's with his baby sister it's another thing entirely. Katara brings something out in the blonde-haired girl that doesn't come out too much otherwise. This would be her peppy, squealing, girly side. Hearing the pony-tailed boy's protests, the girls fall back and let Aang take the lead.

"Come on, Sokka, give us a break," the tribal girl defends.

"Yeah," Larissa supports. "We may be the Intatar and a soon-to-be master waterbending master, but we still have the right to dream of husbands and families."

The sixteen-year-old shrugs. "Hey, I never said you didn't. Its' just, have you two heard yourselves?" Imitating a high-pitched female voice he continues, "_Oh I hope I get to meet a nice man! I want him to be tall, and handsome, and strong, and an earthbender with sparkling green eyes and long girly hair! Once we're married I want to have exactly seventy-three children!_"

Offended, Katara puts a hand on her hip. "Okay. I don't know which conversation you've been listening to, but we do _not_ sound like that!"

Larissa instantly agrees before bringing up his previous remark. "And since when did either of us mention marrying an earthbender?"

"Well…" says Sokka, "never. But still you get my point."

His younger sister looks ready to protest once more, but the voice of the little monk cuts her off from up ahead.

"Guys look! I can see the village!"

Hearing his proclamation, the other three begin rushing to catch up with him. Up ahead of them are clusters of little houses along with a beautiful stone gate to mark the village entrance. Anticipation taking over, the two young women jogs ahead of the boys. As they do this Sokka can't help but roll his eyes. _Girls_. Every bit as reluctant as before Sokka trails his friends through the main gate and down several streets lined by quaint little buildings. Like before Katara and Larissa continue on chattering.

"I hope the man I marry is going to be handsome!" Katara exclaims. "I hope that he's sweet and good with children, too!"

"Hey, knowing my kind of luck, I'm just hoping that Aunt Wu actually _sees_ a husband and children in my future. I don't want to end up a lonely old maid!"

Rounding the corner, a building with a round door comes into view that's slightly different from the rest. Knowing that this must be where Aunt Wu gives her fortunes, the children draw nearer to it. An instant later a type of Herald dressed in black greets the group.

"Aunt Wu is expecting you," he says.

His overly-enthused younger sibling gives a pleasantly surprised expression. "Really?"

Hearing this causes the Water Tribe boy to groan loudly in disgust as the Herald ushers them inside. The instant they're inside a girl dressed in a pink kimono who looks to be around Aang's age rushes up. Listening with half an ear, Sokka barely hears what she introduces herself as. Meng, did she say? Meh. Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible he makes his way over to four comfortable looking pillows spread out nicely. Wordlessly, he takes a seat between Aang and Larissa. More words are exchanged between Meng and Aang, which he scarcely hears. That is…until the young girl speaks this one sentence.

"Can I get you some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?"

"I'll try a curd puff," says Sokka eagerly.

The little girl puts up a hand, ignoring him. "Hold on a second." To Aang, she asks, "So what's your name?"

"Aang," the nomad replies simply.

Next the peppy-acting child says something so strange that it would be impossible for Sokka not to hear. "That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you?"

The look that crosses the tattooed boy's face is truly comical. "I…guess…"

Unable to stop himself the blue-clad teen adds in his input. "Oh, don't be modest. They're huge!"

He declares this while spreading his arms apart in emphasis. As he does so, Aang shoots him an irritable look while Meng leaves the room.

"Well Aang, it's very nice to meet you. Very nice."

"Likewise."

The moment she's gone Sokka again openly shows his disgust. "I can't believe that we're here in the house of nonsense."

Instantly, just as he'd been expecting, his baby sister starts to protest. "Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained. Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?"

Sokka gives a shrug. "It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs."

It takes a few minutes and some time spent staring boringly at the wall, but at last Meng comes with the food. So eager is he for the snack, that he takes the tray directly from the airbender's lap without hesitation. The moment he does so the bottomless pit of a teenager begins chowing down. While practically breathing in the tray, the famous Aunt Wu enters the room dressed in a yellow kimono looking very tranquil.

"Welcome, young travelers," she says. "Now who's next? Don't be shy."

The first one to move from their spot upon her request, of course, is Katara. "I guess that's me."

The moment his sister leaves the room with the lady fortuneteller, Sokka has a feeling in the pit of his stomach that this is going to be a very long day. Suddenly, breaking him of his thoughts is Larissa. To his surprise her tiny pale hand is on the try doing its best to get at the bean curd puffs.

"Don't hog all the food," she demands teasingly. "If I have to wait through an entire session to learn my future, then I need comfort food."

Shrugging, he offers her the tray. Taking a small handful, she then shoves it back at him. "Comfort food, why?" he asks with his mouth half full.

"You wouldn't be interested," she says in the same teasing tone. "It's _girly_ stuff."

Curious by her words he's about to inquire further. That, however, is when Aang speaks to them.

"Guys, just out of curiosity, what do you think they're talking about in there?"

* * *

Twenty Minutes Later

The sequence of events happens just as the Intatar had expected. Everything from Aang's obsession with Katara's fortune, all the way to Aunt Wu telling Sokka that he's going to have a future of self-inflicted anguish and misery. At this, she gives an inside chuckle. Poor Sokka! So many people underestimate the pony-tailed Water Tribe warrior. Looking at the back of the fortuneteller, she sees as the woman leads her down a narrow hallway and into small plain looking room. In the center are four red pillars where a section of the floor is slightly lower than the rest. In each corner of the lowered section are four pillows, a fire burning at the center. Once inside Aunt Wu shuts the door and motions for Larissa to take a seat.

Nervously, the pale-faced girl clad in Air Nomad attire obeys. To be honest, despite the fact that Larissa doesn't put much stock in fortune telling, she can't help but hope that the woman sees love in her future. So much of her young life has been spent working, worrying, and providing that she's never had time for love at all. Now that she's the Intatar this concept applies more than ever. Admittedly, within her short fifteen years of existence, the girl has never had a boyfriend, a date, a kiss, or even a handhold. Blushing in humiliation at the internal confession, she peers up at Aunt Wu blankly.

Sitting down next to her, the fortuneteller smiles kindly. "Alright, now give me your palm. Don't be nervous. I've told the future this way many times before, and have been correct every time."

Giving a single nod, Larissa complies with her request. Taking it in her wrinkled hands, Aunt Wu runs a finger across it mystically. As she does this, slight surprise creases her brow.

"Oh my," says the woman. "I can tell you right now that you life is going to be very interesting, dear."

Confused, Larissa stares at her. "Interesting? How?"

"Well…" says the gray-haired woman narrowing her eyes, "I can see that you are going to play an active role in the fate of the world. The future, the state of the world, the changes that are going to happen between now and the next century, all if it will depend on you. Miss Hana, you are going to do great things and improve the world for the better!"

Larissa nods, forcing a smile. This is exactly what she'd been expecting. "Really?" the girl asks hesitantly. "Is that _all_ you see? My role in changing the world?"

Gazing into her eyes, Aunt Wu looks at her in curiosity. "What do you mean, child?"

"I mean…is that all there is in my future is changing the world? Do you see anything that's…I don't know… more personal?"

Understanding fills the older woman's gaze at the awkward explanation. Giving a light airy chuckle, she says, "Oh, yes. You're talking about a family aren't you?"

Biting down on her lower lip, she gives a stiff nod. "Yes, ma'am. Do you see anything?"

Giving another laugh, she nods excitedly. "Why yes! In fact, I was just getting to that. You don't just change the world through your actions. I can see that you will have many children who will grow up and carry out the legacy you and your husband leave behind."

So unexpected were the woman's words, that Larissa's heart nearly bursts with joy. "Children?!A husband?!"

"Yes, Hana, you are indeed going to have children. It's not too often I get to tell people this, but you're going to have nine of them. One day you will be the mother of six sons and three daughters."

Shocked out of her skin, she gives a chortle of disbelief. "_Nine_? You're telling me that I'm going to have _nine_ kids?!"

"Yes. And each of them will share the same father. I know, because I can see your husband too."

"Really?!" Larissa exclaims with happiness. "What's he like?! Can you tell me?"

"I can see that he is highly intelligent. Why, he possesses the intelligence of a natural-born leader!"

"Wow! Six sons, three daughters, and a highly intelligent husband with leadership skills. Thank you so much, Aunt Wu! This is so much more than I had expected!"

Smiling, the woman stands up. Larissa works her way to her feet alongside her.

"Anytime." Pausing, she asks, "Now who else is left?"

"The only one left is Aang," the Intatar replies slowly.

That being said, the two exit the room and go out to the waiting area where the rest of her friends sit. Doing her best, Larissa tries to keep her outward calm. Of course this comes to no prevail. She's going to get married and have a family! Who knew that the overly responsible workaholic would ever have a family?! Feeling enough satisfaction to last her for the rest of her life, she takes a seat down in her previous spot as Aang takes his turn with the fortuneteller.

* * *

After they'd all gotten their fortunes read and after the cloud reading had ended, Katara went off to see the wise old fortuneteller again. Larissa had been hoping to spend some time with her and talk about their fortunes, but she already knows that this isn't going to happen anytime soon. Therefore, she finds herself walking through the streets in between Aang and Sokka. Admittedly, the girl is very happy with the results of her reading. Even so she can't help but find it ridiculous that the townspeople put so much stock in fortunetelling. This isn't just about finding their one true love or about whether or not they'll be rich someday. Their entrusting the safety of their village and their very lives to this woman! Going as far as that to Larissa seems pure foolishness!

From just up ahead, Sokka confirms her thoughts with his own words. "I can't believe all these saps. Someone really needs to scream some sense at them."

Nodding, Larissa concurs with the statement. "To be honest, Sokka, I have to agree with you. Fortunetelling is fun in a way, but these people have taken it to the point of insanity."

"Come on, guys," Aang protests from beside them. "They seem happy."

"Not for long. I'm going to prove that Aunt Wu's predictions are nonsense!" Looking around at the many passersby, the two watches as the Water Tribe boy spots a man adorning red shoes and pulls him aside. "Hey, you. I bet Aunt Wu told you to wear those red shoes, didn't she?"

"Yeah," says the man dreamily. "She said I'd be wearing red shoes when I met my true love."

Sokka nods. "Uh huh. And how many times have you worn those shoes since you got that fortune?"

"Every day."

Larissa can practically feel his frustration at the man's simplicity. Not only that, but she can almost see the swirling fire back dropping him, nearly making her chuckle.

"THEN OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO COME TRUE!" he shouts out in indignation.

The man in the red shoes being completely in the dark jabbers away eagerly. "Really? You think so? I'm so excited!"

Appearing more aggravated than before, the Water Tribe boy kicks a nearby stone. Then, to his dismay, it hits a duck directly in the butt. Larissa winces in anguish for the boy as the animal flies over and starts to attack him. She hears as Sokka screams out in agony.

"Uh…" says Aang. "Should we do something?"

Larissa nods hesitantly. "Uh…yeah. We probably should."

Pushing up her sleeves, the girl walks over to where he struggles on the ground. Not knowing what else she can do to ease his misery, she grabs hold of the duck by the wings and starts pulling.

"Stupid duck! Get off my friend!" the pale-faced girl says to the creature.

Giving a few more tugs, the duck at last breaks free from the boy and flies away. Meanwhile Sokka stands up while rubbing his shoulder in pain.

Most likely knowing that Aang is close by, he says, "Thanks, Hana. I owe you."

Smiling, she nods. "No problem."

Nevertheless, the girl had spoken much too soon. Clearly angry, the duck flies back over to them. However, this time he doesn't come alone. Rather he brings two friends who have come to assist him in his mission. Seeing the sight, Larissa and Sokka scream in terror as the trio of birds lands on them and begins attacking.

"Ah! What is it with the animals in this town?!" The tribal boy shouts, once again crawling on the ground in pain as a duck pecks him on the head.

Larissa cries out from directly beside him as a different duck pulls at her hair. "I don't know, but I think they're evil!"

Aang, seeing this catastrophe, rushes over to help. "Hold on, guys! I'm coming!"

* * *

Katara and Larissa make their way to the market. Now that she's finally left Aunt Wu's side for the day, they can find have some girl time. Weaving their way in between people and around corners, the light-haired girl can hear as the waterbender's amused laughter echoes through the streets.

"You guys were attacked by ducks?!"

"Don't laugh! It isn't funny," says the fifteen-year-old with her cheeks reddening.

"Sorry, Hana, it isn't that," says the waterbender while shaking her head. "I just find it odd that it was only you and Sokka that got attacked by the ducks and not Aang."

"Well, I don't see what's so odd about it. He was being attacked by a duck, I yanked it off of him, and then both of us got attacked. There it is a nutshell. End of story."

Her laughter dying down, Katara speaks out honestly. "But I still don't get it. Why were you guys going all over town trying to prove Aunt Wu wrong, when clearly she's right?"

Irritated by this question, Larissa sighs. "Because Aunt Wu isn't right. Well I enjoyed getting my fortune, I think that it's ridiculous to entrust your whole life to fortunetelling. If these people don't start using some logic soon they could easily regret it."

To her bewilderment, Katara gives a satisfied smirk. "Okay, now I'm getting it. Sokka's gotten to you _again_, just like always."

"Like always?" asks Larissa. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. It's just that….it always seems like you end up taking Sokka's side. First you teamed up with him against Jet, then you agreed with him that you need more training before trying to master the Intatar state, and now you're siding with him against Aunt Wu."

"What?!" exclaims the Intatar. "That is not true! I am a person of my own free will! Sokka and I just think alike sometimes, that's all. He's smarter than you give him credit for."

"Relax, Hana. I'm only teasing. Still, though, you have to admit that it seems that way." Pausing, Katara adds something that is entirely unexpected. "By the way, I never got to tell you this the other day, but I'm sorry about the whole thing with the Malbaine root."

Giving an appreciative nod, it is now Larissa's turn to laugh. "It's okay Katara, but still. Why on earth would your mind go directly to Sokka as the guilty one?!

Katara blushes in embarrassment. "I don't know. It's just that you two have seemed really…chummy…at times, and my mind just went there. I really am sorry."

Larissa smiles. "Don't worry about it, Katara. You're forgiven."

The girl returns her smile. "Thanks." Again she pauses before continuing. "Okay, I know that you don't really believe in fortunetelling, but I'm dying to know. What fortune did Aunt Wu give you?!"

Continuing down the stone-paved street, the pale-faced girl shrugs. "All of the general things. I'm going to change to world for the better and determine its fate."

Katara gives a sigh of displeasure. "Is that all?"

Looking around to make sure that neither Sokka nor Aang are in the crowd beforehand, the girl then turns to her waterbending friend and squeals. "No! Aunt Wu told me that I'm going to have a husband and _nine_ children!"

Katara gasps joyfully. "Nine?!"

Nodding eagerly, she replies, "Uh huh! Six boys and three girls!"

Jumping up and down like a couple of imbeciles at an amusement park, the girls squeal with delight.

"I know exactly how you feel, Hana. Aunt Wu said that she saw my husband! I don't know who he is, but she said that he's a very powerful bender! Did she tell you whether yours could bend or not?"

"No," Larissa confesses, "but I'm still happy either way. She told me that my future husband is highly intelligent and has the qualities of a natural born leader!"

"Aw. I hope that my husband's intelligent."

Just up ahead the market place comes into view. Inquisitive as to why they're going to the market at all, the Intatar turns to face her friend.

"Katara, just out of curiosity, why are we going to the market? We have plenty of food."

"I need to buy a papaya for breakfast tomorrow."

This new piece of information causes her to raise her brow. "But you _hate_ papaya!"

The dark-skinned girl grimaces. "Trust me. I know."

* * *

Grunting in aggravation, Sokka ascends the mountain directly behind Aang. Just a few minutes ago the little bald monk had come running up to him in whir, insisting that they climb to the mountaintop for some rare flower. He'd tried talking him out of it, but in the end the boy ended up being bamboozled into joining him for the hike. The things he does for friendship!

"I can't believe your dragging me all the way up here for a stupid flower!" Sokka complains to the Air Nomad.

Aang, his usual chipper self, calls down a response. "Not just any flower— a panda lily. I've seen it in action, and boy does it work."

"Flowers are fine once you're married, but at this early stage it's critical that you maintain maximum aloofness," he states easily.

"But my heart is telling me to get this flower, and Aunt Wu said if I trusted my heart I would be with the one I love."

Sokka groans at the words. "What? Don't tell me you believe in that stuff too."

"Well, Aunt Wu hasn't been wrong yet. Why should she be wrong about love?"

What the two boys learn a few seconds later, however, is that the fortuneteller was wrong. She was wrong in one of the worst ways possible.

* * *

The four children rush over to the village square in panic. If the overly-dependent natures that these people have formed for Aunt Wu and her fortune telling angered Sokka before, than it doubtlessly angers him now. Entrusting their very lives to some crazy old lady with a cloud reading book is unthinkable, not to mention thoughtless. Are these people trying to get themselves killed?! Seeing the crowd of villagers, Sokka rushes to the middle of them and begins calling out warnings.

"Everyone! That volcano is going to blow any second! Aunt Wu was wrong!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know that you don't believe in Aunt Wu, 'Mr. Science and Reason lover'," a girls mocks from among the throng.

The next one to speak out is Larissa. "Don't you people get it? If you don't evacuate or do something right now, all of you will be destroyed! Listen to Sokka; he and the Avatar saw the volcano with their own eyes."

That same irritatingly calm man that was attacked by the platypus bear this morning defends his beloved fortuneteller. "Well I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears."

It being Aang's turn to try to knock some sense into the villagers, he does his best to support his friends. "Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here. You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction. You have to take fate into your own hands."

Suddenly an explosion occurs, black smoke pouring out from the mountain.

"Look!" says Sokka pointing at the sight. "Can your fortunetelling explain that?"

"Can your science explain why it rains?" asks a man from the crowd.

Annoyed Sokka glares at him. "Yes! Yes it can!"

Looking very unconvinced, the crowd disperses in order to return to their homes. This causes the four children to come together, feeling put out and dismayed.

"Well, that didn't work," states Larissa in irritation.

"They just won't listen to reason," says Katara.

Suddenly Aang's gray irises light up, as if just thinking of something wonderful. "But they will listen to Aunt Wu."

Hearing this, Sokka sees as Larissa's eyes light up to match the Avatar's. Having no idea what they're getting at he figures that it must be some Avatar/Intatar spirit connection thing.

"Oh!" the girl exclaims. "I get it! We can use that to our advantage, can't we?"

Aang nods. "Yep. We're taking fate into our own hands. First I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book."

* * *

Sokka and Larissa stand side-by-side as they gaze up at the sky. From where they're at they can see clearly as a certain portion of the cloud begins swirling and shifting to form a new shape. Scanning over the streets, the duo spots Aunt Wu who is at this moment conveniently exiting her home.

"There she is," says the light-haired teen. "We have to get her!"

Knowing that the time is now, they run up to the woman. Doing her best to appear dramatic, Larissa takes the woman by the arm.

"Aunt Wu, quick! You have to come with us!" the girl exclaims.

"Why?" asks the woman in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"There's no time for questions! Just come with us."

The two working together, they manage to drag her to the village square and up on top of her little stage.

"See! Look, Aunt Wu! Something is happening in the clouds!" the tribal boy proclaims.

"That's very strange," murmurs the woman. "It shouldn't… Oh my!"

Hearing the alarm in her voice causes the adolescents to exchange content glances. At long last maybe they can accomplish saving this town!

* * *

Larissa watches Aang speak as she stands among the crowd of villagers. A few rows of people away standing closer to the front would be Katara. Why she's so far back she isn't certain. It just sort of happened this way. Looking up, she watches the tattooed boy.

"We can still save the village if we act fast. Sokka has a plan."

Going up the stairs of Aunt Wu's little stage is the Water Tribe boy. Like normal in times of crisis, he speaks calmly and clearly.

"Lava is going to flow downhill to this spot. If we can dig a deep enough trench we can channel all of the lava away from the village and to the river."

"If any of you are earthbenders, come with me," says Aang.

Next to Sokka at the base of the little stage, Larissa notes, is a small pile of shovels. An instant later an explosion sounds from the mountain as smoke and ash pour out of its mouth.

Fear visible on his face, the Water Tribe boy says, "Everybody else grab a shovel. Come on, we've got to hurry!"

Obeying Sokka, the girl rushes forward and grabs a shovel along with the others. Whether or not she's an earthbender she hasn't the slightest idea. Of course, there isn't too much time to figure out right now. All in all, she could accomplish more by simply digging than if she tried earthbending or contacting one of the local village spirits. A few minutes later she is among the villagers digging the trench in a swift type of panic. A little ways away are earthbenders, just as terrified by the potential destruction of their town as the rest.

"I'm starting to think that the Water Tribe boy is right," says a male civilian from somewhere beside her. "We listen to Aunt Wu _way _too much!"

Hearing this only with half an ear, she continues digging rapidly. Meanwhile, a female voice responds.

"Yeah, I think I agree with you," she says. "This is the last time I trust a fortuneteller with my own personal safety!"

A long moment of silence passes before the man speaks once more. This time, however, Larissa actually pays his words more attention.

"You know, we're lucky that the Water Tribe boy came along. I hate to admit this, but none of us ever would've been able to think of something like this!"

"I know," the woman agrees. "We couldn't have thought of a plan at all, let alone right on the spot like this! His friends are lucky to have him in their group."

Despite their current situation, the man gives a chuckle. "I know, right? Man, I wish my son was more like him. Li would never be able to lead people so well; especially not in a time of crisis like this boy."

The woman gives a chortle as well. "Yeah, I get your meaning. Ponytail boy really knows how to lead. Not only that, but you'd almost never find one so smart."

"Yeah," the man concurs. "He's a really intelligent one."

Blue eyes widening in surprise, Larissa's shovel drops from her hands. Whipping around, she turns to face the duo in complete and utter shock.

"Excuse me," says Larissa, "I don't mean to pry, but what did you just say?"

Exchanging glances, the man and the woman look at her oddly.

"Nothing," says the man awkwardly cradling his shovel. "Just that that Water Tribe boy is really intelligent."

Turning the other way she gazes over at Sokka expressionlessly. "Yes," she answers still feeling surprised. "He really is."

Suddenly another explosion is heard.

"Dig faster! Dig faster!" shouts Sokka.

Immediately the villagers do exactly this, as does Larissa. The entire time the man's words echo through her mind.

* * *

Larissa stands in between Katara and Sokka as Aang walks up to Aunt Wu. Now that the village is safe it feels like a weight has been taken off their shoulders. After everything that has happened hopefully the townspeople have learned some kind of lesson. Then again, based on the man and the woman's conversation, Larissa already knows that some of them have.

Sheepishly looking at the ground, Aang holds the object out to the fortuneteller. "By the way, we kind of borrowed your book."

Angrily, she takes it from him. "So you messed with the clouds did you?" A moment later she laughs. "Very clever!"

"No offense," says Sokka, "but I hope that this has taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortunetelling."

Suddenly, to the warrior's dismay, that same calm man from this morning speaks out from the crowd. "But Aunt Wu predicted that the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all."

Irritation written all over his being Sokka gets right in his calm and smiling face. "_I hate you,"_ he seethes.

Chuckling, his sister walks over and grabs him by the shoulder. "It's okay, Sokka. Everything's going to be all right."

Larissa simply stands there as she watches the fourteen-year-old guide him away. Shrugging, she readies herself to follow. That, however, is when Aunt Wu appears behind her.

"Aunt Wu!" the girl exclaims in surprise. "Did you want something?"

"Actually, yes dear. I do. Before you leave, I wanted to tell you something about your fortune that I forgot to tell you earlier."

Arching a brow in curiosity, she gazes up at the older woman. "Okay. What is it?"

Leaning over smiling, the fortuneteller whispers in her ear. "You are going to be very happy, child. I can see it already."

Putting a slightly wrinkled hand on the girls shoulder, the woman bids her farewell before walking off down the street.

* * *

_**A/N: I know. This chapter wasn't a very interesting one. This chapter was a filler more or less. Next chapter, however, is going to be a very interesting one. Let's just say that I did some major...messing around...with the plot. After next chapter you will either love me or hate my guts... To be honest, I can't wait to see which! We'll that's it for now. I will try to get back to the library in a few days so that I can update again. Of course, with book sales going on at my college I'm not sure when. Either way I promise that my next update will be soon! :)**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Okay, guys. I know. It has been literally FOREVER since I've updated! With my internet down and my car in at the shop getting it's dash lights fixed all week Monday-Friday, I haven't been able to get to the library at all! Also, with college starting in a mere three days for me I don't think that my updates are about to get any more frequent... Although, now that my car has been fixed and that I have Monday off, I will try to get to the library on Monday too so that I can update. Now, as for this chapter, it's like I said. Once you've read it you will either hate my guts or love me. It all depends on your opinion of the characters. Originally I was going to skip over the events of "Bato of the Water Tribe" like I did with "The Great Divide" episode. However, I was then struck with an idea. A very stupid and far fetched idea that I told myself not to write. Of course, I then decided to write it anyway just for the heck of it and because...well...I just couldn't help myself! Okay, without further rambling from me, here is the episode "Bato of the Water Tribe" which I have severely messed with and very much enjoyed writing. Enjoy! :)**_

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender._

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

"Wow, Hana. You've gotten good!"

Grinning widely, Larissa looks happily at her airbending teacher. Despite the other things that the girl has had to do such as practicing reading, daily chores, and sneaking off to teach Sokka English writing, she has always made time to practice her airbending. Many times she and Aang practice side-by-side, but other times she goes off and works on perfecting her skills in isolation. Over the course of the week's she's had her airbending Larissa has gone from novice moves, to intermediate, and even up the scale to several techniques used by Masters. It is because of this that Aang can't help but be impressed.

"Thanks, Aang," the fifteen-year-old replies. "I told you I've been practicing."

"Yeah, but I didn't know you were practicing _those_ moves! I can't believe you taught yourself the air vortex, air blade, _and_ the air grapple."

"Come on, Aang. I'm still making too many mistakes. I'm not exactly a Master yet."

The Avatar airbends himself closer to her excitedly. "Yeah, but you're getting close, Hana. Another month or two and you could even be good enough for tattoos! When it comes to mistakes they're only little ones. Those will clear up once you get more experience."

Confused by his words, Larissa frowns in puzzlement. "But, Aang, I thought you said it takes years to master airbending."

Aang shrugs. "I did say that, but…still...you're getting it down fast. It must be because you're the Intatar. Lianmin's spirit is probably helping you."

Larissa nods, satisfied by his explanation. "Good. If Lianmin's helping me with airbending, then I know Raava will help you with waterbending." After a slight pause she adds, "By the way, speaking of waterbending, don't you have a lesson with Katara?"

The twelve-year-old's gray eyes widen at the realization. "Oh, that's right! I forgot all about it! I have to go!"

Panicking, the boy dashes through the forest on the way back to camp. The moment he's gone, Larissa walks over to where her bag leans against the trunk of a tree. Squatting down, she rummages through it until finding a flask of water, a little wooden bowl, and that same small leather pouch that she's used so many times before. Laying all of the objects out onto a flattened boulder Larissa does the thing she's been waiting to do all week.

* * *

"A Master? You're really that close?" asks Larissa's friend from her stunning living room.

Knelt down on the ground in front of the bowl, Larissa nods joyfully. "Yeah. According to Aang, I should have airbending mastered within the next couple months."

Macy beams. "That's great, Larissa! Now that you're getting airbending out of the way is it time to start on element number two?"

Larissa furrows her brow before formulating a response. "Actually, Macy, I haven't learned what my second element is yet. Based on what Aang told me, it has to come unlocked. Me forcing it out is not an option."

"Wait," says the wealthy teen. "Let me get this straight. Once you've mastered airbending there's nothing else you can do? Your only option is waiting around and hoping that something will show up?"

The Intatar nods. "Yeah, that about it. Of course, I guess I don't mind it so much. Most of my energy is being focused on airbending and learning to read right now, anyway."

Macy frowns quizzically. "I know, but you can't focus on just airbending forever. You need to figure out your second element at some point."

The fifteen-year-old gives a calm and understanding nod. "You're right Macy, and I will. My second element will be revealed when the time is right."

"Okay, fine, Larissa. You win." The black-haired adolescent hesitates momentarily. "So, are there any hopes for what you want it to be?"

Stopping for a second, the Intatar considers this question. At last she replies, "Well…I do kind of want to be a waterbender. That would be cool! And convenient, too. That way all three of us could learn at the same time. There would be less worry about me mastering my abilities and more time to focus on Aang. We'd be killing two birds with one stone."

Macy narrows her eyes in a thinking fashion. "Really, I see where you're coming from. Not only that, but you'd make a good waterbender."

"Well, I'm glad you think so."

The two exchange smiles before Macy speaks once more. "Well, I'm sorry Larissa, but I'm going to have to end things here."

The girl releases an aggravated sigh. "Let me guess. You have a meeting with the Enchantress Circle?"

"Close. I have lessons with my Professors _and_ a meeting with the Enchantress Circle. I'm sorry, but ever since reaching the rank of Master Apprentice and joining the Circle I hardly have time for anything."

Larissa chuckles. "It's okay, Macy. I believe you. So is this goodbye for now?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Goodbye, Larissa."

"Goodbye, Macy."

Just like every other time their conversation ends, Macy's image vanishes from the bowl. For the next several minutes Larissa simply stares down at the clear liquid wondering.

* * *

Katara and Larissa walk alongside each other on the little trail going through the woods. Sokka and Aang walk just up ahead in order to go down by the river and find a decent place to set up camp. In all technically it is still daylight, but each of them knows that it won't be for much longer. An hour or more of sunlight is probably all they have at the most. However, this isn't the thing that's on Larissa's mind.

The truth of Macy's statement from this morning still rings through her ears. If she's to make any progress at all, then Larissa needs to try and learn her second element. Maybe if she meditates on it and tries with the proper intentions to unlock it, then perhaps it will be revealed to her. If not that, then at least she could attempt using the cancel-out method by finding out whether or not she can bend water. These thoughts in mind, Larissa consults the South Pole's last waterbender.

"…So what do you think, Katara? Is it worth a shot?"

Pursing her lips, the braided girl mulls over her friend's words. "I don't know, Hana. Didn't Aang say that you can't try and force out your other element?"

"He did say that," says Larissa, "but I still want to try and see if I'm a waterbender. Not really because of impatience, but due to logic more or less. If my other bending ability is water, then I'd like to find out before reaching the North Pole. The last thing I want is to be all the way over in the Eastern Earth Kingdom three months from now and discover waterbending. If that happens, then I could be without a master."

"Oh," Katara states with understanding. "Good point."

"So will you help me?" asks the Intatar hopefully. "Not tonight, but tomorrow maybe?"

It's obvious by now that the tribal girl can't suppress a gentle grin. "Okay. We can try it tomorrow evening. I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Yes!" Larissa exclaims. "Thank you, Katara, thank you!"

The conversation having ended, the girls turn a slight corner in the forest's trail. Looking up ahead they notice as Aang and Sokka dig through the bushes with urgency. Exchanging befuddled glances, they approach the boys with their previous conversation completely forgotten.

"Did someone lose something?" asks the waterbender.

"No we found something," declares the monk from his place searching the bushes.

Right then Sokka pops up from the ground holding a broken arrow. "It's burned," he clarifies to the others.

Tossing it over his shoulder he walks over to a tree. It takes a minute for Larissa to notice, but it contains visible burn marks.

"There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders." That beings said, Sokka begins descending the downward slope down the hill. "The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill…"

The other three follow the pony-tailed boy downward to the sandy beach without hesitation as he attempts to further interpret the signs.

"So then what happened?" asks Aang once they catch up.

"I don't know," Sokka replies. "The trail ends here."

It's obvious that the boy is slightly upset about this. Then, however, his sister calls out to them as she sees something a little ways down the beach.

"Wait! Look!"

Rushing over, they gaze in the direction of her outstretched arm. Both all-powerful humans notice as the siblings' eyes light up in delight.

"It's one of our boats!" the Water Tribe boy exclaims.

All four children take off sprinting in the vessel's direction happier than before.

"Is this…Dad's boat?" asks Katara.

Rubbing the ship's prow, Sokka gives a smile. "No, but it's from his fleet. Dad was here."

Knowing that this specifically is a type of brother-sister bonding moment, Larissa stands next to Aang wordlessly. Meanwhile, the duo walks the Water Tribe vessel's perimeter, sharing memories of their father. Larissa can't help but feel touched by the scene. She can recall having moments like these with her own siblings and understands just how sacred they truly are. Not even wanting to risk interrupting it, the girl turns and speaks to the bald nomad beside her.

"Aang," she says, "I forgot to ask you this earlier, but could you demonstrate the air grapple one more time? I'm not quite sure I'm getting it."

The tattooed boy grins widely at her request. "Sure, Hana. No problem." He hesitates slightly before asking, "But don't we still have to find a place to set up camp?"

"No," Larissa replies with a knowing smile. "I think we already have."

* * *

Later That Same Night

Katara has just crawled into her sleeping bag, as has Aang. Both of them are sound asleep. Larissa is in her sleeping bag trying to sleep as well, but she doubts that it will happen. Instead she finds herself watching Sokka as he sits with his knees pulled up to his chest while stoking the fire. Based on the glazed-over and glassy look his blue irises have taken on, the Water Tribe boy is in thought. To be honest, she has always felt bad for Sokka in a way. Being the only Water Tribe man left in the Southern Water Tribe for two years straight is probably harder on him than he lets on. Running across the Water Tribe warrior's previous battle ground and then finding one of their boats probably opened up old wounds again more than anything.

Lifting her chin up, she gazes at him a few more seconds. Eventually, however, weariness manages to at last take over. Tearing her eyes away from the boy, Larissa cuddles more deeply into her sleeping bag and attempts slumber. A few more minutes pass and she actually comes close to dozing off. Of course, that is when she hears the young warrior move from his spot on the other side of the fire.

"Who's there?" he calls into the night.

Feeling slightly drowsy, the girl sits up. As she does so another voice is heard from off in the distance.

"Sokka?" it calls out in question.

Walking toward the group of them is a blue-clad figure wrapped in bandages. A few feet away from her would be Sokka, looking very surprised at the sight of the man.

"Bato?" Sokka calls out, sounding equally perplexed.

Around her Aang and Katara are waking up as well.

"Who the what now?" mumbles the airbender.

Upon seeing the man, the braided girl leaps out of her sleeping bag and goes running toward him alongside her elder brother.

"Bato!" she exclaims.

Finally reaching him, the three Water Tribe members embrace.

"Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you two! You've both grown so much."

"Where's Dad?" asks the pony-tailed boy enthusiastically.

"Is he here?" Katara asks with equal keenness.

"No," Bato replies. "He and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now."

Right then is when the wind chooses to blow, making them all shiver.

"This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside."

* * *

Sokka walks alongside Bato, his sister on the man's opposite side. He can hardly believe that his father's old friend is actually here. It's unbelievable! Happy beyond belief, he listens as the middle-aged man explains the reason for his presence here.

"After I was wounded your father carried me to this Abbey. He and the other warriors didn't want to leave me behind, but it was necessary in order for them to reach the rendezvous point in time. It won't matter for too much longer though. Once I'm better I'm planning on joining them in the Eastern Earth Kingdom."

Concern shows brightly in his little sister's eyes. "So you've been staying at the Abbey alone the whole time?"

They come to the crest of the hill as Katara asks this, but none of them seems to notice.

"Actually no," Bato replies with a smile. "A few weeks ago we met up with a group of Earth Kingdom men who have been going around freeing villages that have been taken over by the Fire Nation. Something happened where we had to team up to defeat a rather large group of Fire Nation soldiers, and we've been traveling with them ever since. One man and his son actually decided to stay behind with me to help me recover."

Slightly surprised by this, Sokka inquires, "So you and the other Water Tribe warriors have been traveling with a group of earthbenders?"

"Yes," the Water Tribe man confirms. "In fact, you're going to get to meet a couple of them very soon."

Together the group of five walks in through the main gates of a monastery type building. Milling around are groups of women dressed in plain white dresses and headdresses. Picking out one woman in particular, Bato speaks to her.

"Superior," he says to her, "these are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with Avatar Aang and Intatar Hana. I found them by my boat."

The woman, Superior, walks over them and gives a respectful bow. "Young Avatar and Lady Intatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence. Welcome to our Abbey."

Aang and Larissa bow in return.

"Thank you," says the girl politely. "The honor is ours."

Meanwhile, Bato searches the courtyard with great curiosity. Obviously he hasn't spotted whatever it is he's looking for. Turning back to the nun, he asks her a question.

"Superior, you haven't seen Tyro around have you?"

Curious, the older woman looks around. "That's strange. I thought he was—"

"Over here, Bato!" A familiar and gruff voice interrupts from the gate behind them.

The voice sounds so familiar that it causes Sokka to raise a brow. Yet, for some reason, he doesn't turn around to see its owner. He doesn't know why. Denial, maybe?

Laughing, Bato turns to face him as do the others. "Tyro, there you two are! I was starting to wonder where you got to."

"That's funny. My boy and I were beginning to wonder the same thing about you, so we started looking. That's why we wandered down to the beach."

Hearing the voice again causes Sokka to inwardly flinch.

_"No,"_ says Sokka to himself. _"It isn't possible. The universe would never hate me this much!" _

When Bato grabs his shoulder and spins him around, it is then that Sokka decides that he was wrong. The universe truly does hate him. No, not just hate. The universe utterly despises him. Why, he doesn't know. After traveling with Avatar Aang and Intatar Hana, working to keep Larissa's secret, and assisting in trying to restore balance to the world, Sokka would think that the universe would love him but no. This by no means is the case. Because working their way through the crowd is a familiar muscled man adorning a gray beard, and his earthbending son with a long flowing mane.

"Sokka, Katara," says Bato, "I would like to introduce you to two of our warriors' traveling companions. This is Tyro and his son, Haru."

* * *

The Next Day

Larissa doesn't know how to put her emotions into words other than by saying that her mind is completely blown. How in the name of Momo did Haru and his father end up here?! At first she thought that she had been hallucinating or that it was her Intatar powers playing tricks on her, but soon enough she discovered that this was wrong. Haru and Tyro are very much real and are indeed staying at the Abbey with Bato. How this came to be Larissa still doesn't know, but at this point she doesn't really care. Haru is here, he is gorgeous, and she is happy and that's all that matters! Sure he doesn't have the moustache yet, but Larissa can make do without it for now.

Walking along the beach in between Katara and Haru, Larissa kicks a stone with the tip of her foot. Further down the beach Sokka, Aang, and Tyro are busy looking at Bato's boat and man-talking. Haru, apparently bored with the idea, wanted to go take a walk along the beach. Larissa and Katara not wanting to talk about the boat either decided to tag along after him. At first she was disappointed that Katara wanted to come too, but then decided that it couldn't hurt. After all, what good would driving her friend away do either of them?

"Well, it certainly sounds like a lot has happened to you guys since our split," says Haru while skipping stones across the river with earthbending.

"Oh, a lot _has_ happened," says Larissa chuckling. "Believe me. I went to the Spirit World, found out that I'm the Intatar, we've been captured by gypsies, we had to save a town from being flooded to extinction, we had to survive a hurricane, I got captured by Zhao and got into a fight with Prince Zuko on the same day, and then we had to save a town from being destroyed by a volcano because of some stupid fortuneteller. So, yeah, we've been busy."

"Oh, don't you start dragging mine and Aang's good names into that thing with the gypsies!" Katara exclaims. "That incident involved only you and Sokka; not to mention, you brought it on yourselves."

Arching a brow, Haru looks at the pale-faced girl in shocked amusement. "You and Sokka got captured by gypsies? How'd you manage that?"

"Well…" Larissa confesses awkwardly, "we kind of…borrowed…their Airbending Scroll."

"Borrowed?" says Katara. "You never _borrowed_. You stole it. You're carrying that same scroll in your bag right now! The only way you guys got out of that situation alive was by bribing Zuko's tea-loving Uncle with a lotus tile!"

Amused by this, Haru starts to laugh. "Really? That's hilarious! I wish I would've been there!"

"Come to think of it, you get into a lot of bad situations," Katara teases. "No offense, Hana, but I'm starting to think that you're cursed."

Picking up a small pebble, Larissa tosses it at Katara playfully. "No way, Katara. I am _not _cursed!"

"Oh yeah?" says Katara. "Within the past week-and-a-half alone you've been captured by Zhao and got into a fight with Zuko, you and Sokka tried proving Aunt Wu's predictions wrong and got attacked by ducks, not to mention there was that apothecary back on that dock who tried selling you that Malbaine root… that one was an awkward one…"

Larissa blushes, feeling embarrassed. Admittedly her waterbending friend has been teasing her ever since that incident, but she never would've expected her to bring it up now!

"Aw, Katara, please! Don't bring up _that_ incident again! We've been over this!"

Covering his hand with his mouth, Larissa sees as Haru tries to hold back spurts of laughter. "M-Malbaine root?!" He stutters. Peering down the beach in the direction of a specific ponytailed boy he giggles out, "Well, it would make sense. When Sokka got himself arrested to rescue you, I had a hunch that it would only be a matter of time before you guys got…_friendly_."

Unable to hold it back anymore, he starts to outwardly laugh. Blushing scarlet she punches him lightly in the shoulder.

"Come on, Haru, cut it out! It isn't funny!" After a slight pause she asks, "Why does everybody always assume _Sokka_, anyway?!"

Laughter dying down, Haru gives Larissa a pat on the shoulder. "Relax, Hana. I'm only kidding around. Trust me; I know how those kinds of apothecaries can be. Once I had to go to my village herbalist for a plant that helps treat urinary tract infections, and she tried giving me one that treats for male—" Haru stops midsentence. "You know what? Let's not go there."

Larissa and Katara nod before speaking in unison. _"Agreed."_

"This conversation turned awkward very fast…" says Larissa with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah…" Haru agrees with a laugh of his own. "It did…"

Pointing down the beach in the direction of Bato's boat, Katara gives a cough. "Who wants to go stare at Bato's boat? As Sokka would put it, it's made with classic Water Tribe engineering!"

* * *

"Ice-dodging is a three person job. Aang has already agreed to go. Are there any more volunteers?" asks Bato to the group of three.

The moment they got back it was agreed that Bato is taking Sokka ice-dodging. Having been too young to go before the men left for the war, the ponytailed boy had never gotten to do the ritual right-of-passage tradition. It is because of this that Hakoda's most trusted friend has decided to give Sokka the opportunity. Now, standing before Bato and Tyro, the three try deciding amongst themselves who else should accompany Sokka. With Katara standing there, however, deciding doesn't take long.

"Ooh, I'll go! Pick me!"

Laughing quietly Bato replies, "Okay, Katara. You can come."

That being settled Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Bato load onto the ship, and Tyro and the other two stay on the shore. As the boat gets farther and farther away, Haru and Larissa exchange glances. Neither of them knows how to put their feelings into words, but nonetheless they're still able to guess what the other is thinking. It is because of this that Larissa's heart pounds with delight. Clearing her throat, she looks at Haru before taking a few steps backward.

"Well, I'd love to stay and watch, but I've got airbending to practice."

Immediately catching her drift he replies with, "You know what? I've got bending to practice too. It's been a while since I've gotten to practice with one of the world's local airbenders. Mind if I join you?"

Larissa smiles. "No, I don't mind at all. Let us go practice."

Meanwhile Tyro looks at them both while arching his brow in amusement. Letting out a deep and guttural laugh, he says, "Okay, you two go _'practice your bending'_ or whatever it is you're really going to do. I promise I won't interrupt."

The Intatar sees as Haru blushes scarlet at his father's words. "Yeah…thanks dad…"

Releasing another laugh, he says, "It's not a problem, son. Just try and be back between now and six hours from now, okay?"

The young earthbender rubs his neck awkwardly. "Yeah…sure… We will…"

Not wanting to give Tyro time to say anything more, Haru takes the girl Hana by the hand and together they run for the woods. Rather than watching the boat Tyro now finds himself watching his son's and the Intatar's retreating forms, eyes glittering with amusement.

"There's no hiding it, Haru," says the bearded man to himself. "I can remember when I was that age. Later I'll have to tell him how I met his mother…"

* * *

Standing tall and proud in Bato's boat, Sokka can't help but feel excited. He's actually getting to go ice-dodging. This is the best day ever! With Katara on one side and Aang on the other, however, he can't help but feel disappointed that Larissa didn't get the chance to volunteer. The very thought of the girl causes the tribal boy to turn his gaze toward the shoreline. When he looks up onto the beach, however, he discovers that the blonde-headed girl is missing. Not just her, but Haru as well. The only person left standing there is Tyro, who is currently looking in the direction of the forest with a very amused grin on his face. Following the gaze of the gray-haired man, Sokka sees exactly the cause for his amusement.

Walking toward the woods hand-in-hand are Haru and Larissa. The sight causes a feeling of indignation to rise up in his chest.

_"Oh, of course!"_ he says internally. _"Just come back and sweep the girl off her feet with your handsome, pretty-boy, face! Stupid earthbender. Stupid long, girly, hair and charming green eyes. Just who does Haru think he is, anyway? The little man-wh—"_

"Uh…Sokka… Are you okay?"

Turning, Sokka looks into the concerned gray eyes of the Avatar. Looking to Bato and his sister he sees that they bare the exact same look. Slightly embarrassed, he spats out, "Yeah, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be? I'm from the Water Tribe!"

"Right…" says Bato in puzzlement. "Well, we're coming up on our ice-dodging location. It's time to get into our positions."

"Yes," Sokka replies. "I knew that…"

* * *

Two Hours Later

"Okay, that does it! I am _not_ holding back anymore!"

Done using modest-sized rocks, Haru bends up the largest boulder he'd dare use against a female opponent and sends it in Hana's direction. Not wanting to get obliterated by the large rock, the girl uses her bending to conjure the largest air vortex she can muster and sends it back his way. Sensing the boulder's return, Haru stops it in his tracks. Breaking it apart into several smaller rocks he sends them in the pale-faced girl's direction yet again. Before they even have a chance at striking her, however, she whips up an air funnel and redirects them. Once this is done she sends an air ball his way as well in attempt to break his stance.

The attack method almost works, but not quite because Haru manages to keep his footing. Taking out her staff, Hana gets ready to attempt an air swipe. Of course, Haru sensing this attack, he brings up several earthen pillars out of the ground. It is to his disappointment that Hana swerves around each and every one of them like the near Master Airbender she is. Using her staff to form an air blade, the light-haired teen does a vertical cut through several trees and sends them toppling down near Haru. Panicking he dodges them and redirects the falling wood with earthen ramps. The moment he's certain of his safety, he turns to the blue-eyed girl.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?!"

"No," says Larissa with a smirk. "I'm trying to win."

Feeling the need to sit down after the intense battle, the girl makes her way over to one of the fallen logs and takes a seat. Smiling, Haru saunter over and sits down next to her.

"Wow," says Haru. "You really must be the Intatar to have gotten so good at airbending in such little time."

The girl blushes slightly at the compliment. "Thanks. I'm not exactly a Master yet, but I should be soon enough. Aang says I'm learning fast."

"I have to agree with him on that. Last time we met you didn't even know how to use your glider. Now you're making tornados and toppling trees."

Her blush deepens. "Again, thanks."

A long moment of silence passes before Haru speaks again.

"So you're _Intatar Hana_ now, huh? What's that like?"

Unsure of what to say, Larissa begins picking at the bark on the log. "I'm not sure, really. It's different, I can tell you that. A few weeks ago when Sokka and I had to save this town from a dam explosion I guess I went into the Intatar State."

Haru beams at the confession. "Yeah, I heard about that! The word is that you contacted their village spirit and that she granted you earthbending."

"That's true," says Larissa. "Once the town was saved she had to take it back, though. Even if I did get the chance to earthbend once I'm still not sure if earth is my second element."

"Oh." The girl notices that Haru seems disappointed at the comment. "It would be great if it was, though."

Azure eyes brimming with interest, she catches his emerald gaze. "What makes you say that?"

Now it's his turn to blush. "Well, I was just thinking that if you actually were an earthbender that you'd need a teacher."

Surprised by this her eyes widen. "I suppose that's true. The thing is I don't know my second element yet. It still has to come unlocked. Not to mention I still have quite a bit of airbending to work on."

"Yeah," says Haru, "but just think about it. You're really close to mastering airbending. Not to mention you still have that Airbending Scroll to learn from. Keeping that in mind, if you found out that you're an earthbender in the next thirty seconds, wouldn't you need someone to help teach you?"

Pausing, Larissa considers his words. At last she replies, "Yes. I would need a teacher. It might take a while to find one, though."

"Well…" says Haru, "what about me?"

Again, just as before, her eyes widen. "Haru, are you saying that you want to join us?"

Stooped in shock, neither fifteen-year-old says a word. They simply sit there looking at each other. A moment later Haru brings up his larger hand and tucks a wheat-colored strand behind her ear. Using the same hand, he cups Larissa's cheek.

"No. What I'm actually asking is… Hana, instead of leaving here with the Avatar, would you leave with me instead?"

Gasping loudly, she gapes at him. "Haru, I—"

"Hana, please! Just hear me out," the earthbender pleads.

Biting her lower lip, she gives a single nod. Smiling, he explains his thoughts nervously.

"See… I know this sounds weird…but ever since our split after escaping imprisonment I've been thinking about you. I wanted to ask you then if you'd come with me, but with you being so new at airbending I didn't think it would be a good idea; I knew that you needed to stay close to Aang to master it. But now that you almost have, not to mention that you could potentially be an earthbender, it might actually work this time around. So let me ask this again." A long moment of silence passes before he asks, "Hana, will you stay with me after Aang and the others leave?"

Not knowing what else to do, Larissa blinks twice. What just happened here? Did she just get some kind of love confession?! Taking a deep breath, she prepares herself to formulate some type of response. Before she can, however, something much unexpected happens. It could possibly the most unexpected thing in history. Jumping down from one of the trees above is a blue blur with a ponytail. This _"blur"_ in a single swift motion manages to pummel Haru to the ground.

"You stupid, pretty-boy, man-whore! How dare you try and take Hana away?! You sick _monster_!"

Too shocked for words, all the girl is able to do is stare blankly as Sokka beats Haru to a pulp. Flabbergasted by the sneak attack, Haru simply lies there in pain. Even if he did fight back he might not win anyway. In a single sentence: _"Hell hath no fury like an angry Water Tribe boy's scorn."_ Looking down at the scene, she is able to see as a long purple gash forms along Haru's jaw line. Of course, this is nothing compares to the scrapes, black eye, and swollen lip. Unable to take any more of this, Larissa brings up the largest air blast she can and knocks Sokka off of Haru. Really, a lesser air blast probably would've been entirely useless considering the grip he had on Haru's hair.

Once Haru is freed, he only says one word. "Ouch."

Meanwhile, Larissa marches over to where Sokka leans against a tree trunk in agony.

"Sokka, what in the name of Twi and La do you think you're doing?!"

"What am I doing? I'm protecting you from that likes of him, that's what I'm doing!"

Rubbing his lower back, the Water Tribe boy stands up to face the girl.

"What are you talking about? I don't need protecting!" Larissa exclaims. "And look what you've done to Haru!"

One of his eyes twitching he shouts out, "Hold on. Are you defending him?! He's the one who's trying to take you away from us!"

Irritated and angry Larissa sighs. "Look, Sokka, this really isn't any of your business. That was supposed to be a private conversation between myself and Haru. You have no right to be spying!"

Glaring, he begins waving his arms about in fury. "No right?! I have _every_ right! As the leader of the group, it is my job to protect you!"

Almost more angry than before, she begins flailing her arms about as well. "Sokka, enough of this! My conversation with Haru is not over, and you are not allowed to listen in again! Just go back to the Abbey. We'll talk about this later."

Stomping his foot, he storms off in the indicated direction. "You know what? Fine! Instead of coming back, why don't you just go and run away with Haru! See if I care!"

That being said, Sokka leaves both Haru and Larissa at their spot in the woods. Larissa stares after him looking infuriated while the earthbender simply seems shocked.

"Wow," states Haru. "I didn't see that coming _at all_."

"Me neither," Larissa replies slowly. A minute later she adds, "Let's go down to the beach. We can finish talking there."

* * *

Haru and Larissa sit on the beach bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. To be honest Larissa does feel bad about yelling at Sokka, but not as bad as she does about letting him put the hurt on Haru. Using the bowl from her blue Water Tribe bag along with a clean rag, she does her best to tend to Haru's wounds. Seriously she would've expected Sokka to shout angrily at the boy, but she never would've expected this! Sweet Ozai, what was he thinking?!

Ringing out the rag, the blue-eyed girl lifts it up to the gash running along his jaw line and dabs at it. As she does this she can feel as Haru winces in pain.

"Haru, I am so, so, sorry about Sokka," says Larissa. "I have no idea what was going on inside his head."

The temporary pain subsiding, Haru gives a smile. "It's okay. I can understand where he was coming from. If I had a sister and some boy asked her to run away with him, I would probably do the exact same thing."

Dipping the rag back in the bowl, Larissa then starts cleaning out a scrape just above his right eyebrow. "I know, but it still shouldn't have happened. I had absolutely no idea that he was following us!"

Ignoring the pain coursing through his scrapped forehead, Haru shrugs. "It doesn't surprise me any. Really, I wouldn't be shocked if he was following us through the woods outside my village that one time, too."

Surprise filling her sapphire gaze, she gapes at him. "Haru, that's crazy. Why would Sokka feel the need to follow us?"

"I don't know, but still. Just think about it. We were completely alone when we got arrested. Unless he had been tagging along somewhere behind us watching nobody ever would've known what happened to us."

Impressed by the deduction, she grins. "Wow. None of that ever even occurred to me. When did you think of it?"

"A while ago. It was shortly after our split."

Nodding, she then works her way back over to their original conversation; the one that started all of this. "Haru," Larissa asks, "when you say you want me to stay with you it really isn't because I could be an earthbender, is it?"

That is when Haru looks her deeply in the eye with his deep emerald gems. Grabbing her gently by the wrist, he removes the rag and drops it into the bucket. Just like he'd done back in the woods, he raises a hand and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Enough doctoring," he says. "We need to talk. Can you sit down?"

Wordlessly, Larissa works her way from her previous kneeling position so that she's sitting down and facing him. Taking a deep breath, the young man begins explaining himself.

"To be honest, you possibly being an earthbender has absolutely nothing to do with why I want you to stay with me."

She looks at him curiously. "Okay, then. Can you tell me the real reason?"

Gently and with measured motions, Haru takes a strand of Larissa's hair and twirls it around his index finger. Looking into his eyes they look deeper, more honest, and more intense than she's ever seen them before.

"Hana," he says, "ever since meeting you and getting to know you, I guess I've developed some emotions for you. You are unlike any other person I have ever met. What I said before was true. I wanted to ask you to come with me ever since our imprisonment, but I didn't because there were too many factors working against me. Then once you were gone I guess regretted not taking action. Of course, now that destiny or chance…or whatever you want to call it... decided to give me another chance I've decided to take it. I really do want you to come with me, Hana. Not with me and my father; not with me and the other earthbenders; with me and me alone. I had a job back in my village and have some money saved up. We can go start a life together just you and me. I know that you're the Intatar, but we can work and help you master your abilities together. We can make this work, Hana, I know it. So…please? Will you come with me?"

Larissa takes in a deep breath, trying to recover from shock. Wow. Never in a million billion jillion years did she ever expect this to happen. A boy wants to take her and run off together? Unthinkable! To be honest, Larissa has never felt happier in all her life. A boy actually cares about her enough to want to start a life with her. Considering her and her luck, something like this might never happen for her again. The question is should she take the chance?

Suddenly, that's when Aunt Wu and her reading return to her memory. The woman had told her that she was going to marry a highly intelligent man with the intelligence of a natural born leader. She told her that she was going to have nine kids which include six sons and three daughters. Then, there was that last thing Aunt Wu said before they left. She will be very happy. At first Larissa had thought for certain that the fortune had applied to…someone else. Now, being faced with this situation, she's starting to question her previous judgment. Rather than the person she thought it had been could the person from her fortune really be Haru? At last, the boy's voice breaks her from her thoughts.

Cupping her chin, Haru caresses her cheek with his thumb. "What do you say, Hana? Will you come and start a life with me? I know that you might not feel the same way about me right now, but in time I think that you could love me back."

Deep blue irises filling with joy, Larissa lifts up her own hand so that she can cup his cheek. Smiling, she replies, "Yes, Haru. I'll go with you."

"You will?!" the earthbender exclaims with bliss.

"Yes. I will."

To her complete and utter disbelief, Haru picks her up bridal style and kisses her. To her further disbelief Larissa finds herself with her arms wrapped around Haru's neck, kissing him in return.

* * *

"No, Sokka. That can't possibly be true. There's no way that Hana would _ever _run away with Haru!" Katara exclaims from the other side of Bato's temporary home.

At the moment Bato and Tyro are outside discussing the length of time it should take for them to reach the rendezvous point. This leaves him completely alone with Katara and Aang, discussing everything that he had heard. Admittedly, when he'd first gotten the idea to follow after Haru and Larissa to see what they're up to he never would've expected that! Terrified at the prospect of losing Larissa, he rushed back to the Abbey to relay the news to Aang and his sister.

Fed up with his baby sister's denial, Sokka begins shouting. "Oh yes she would! I heard them talking when they were alone in the woods together, and then they were out on the beach just now kissing like a couple of newlyweds! They're running away together, and they're probably going to leave tonight, get married, and have babies with long Haru pretty-boy hair!"

Suddenly, as if both the universe and timing itself are against him, Aang brings up something that his sister hadn't thought of. "Wait," says the nomad with wide gray eyes. "Is that what you've been out doing all day? Following Hana and Haru around?"

He mutters in irritation at the presumption. "Look, that's not the point! The point is that Hana and Haru are running away to start a life together, and we probably will never see them again!"

His sister simply shakes her head at her brother's wacky behavior. "Sokka, do you even hear yourself? You're being ridiculous!"

"I am not! A person doesn't follow two people around all day and come back with misinformation!"

"So Aang is right!" The waterbender announces. "You really have been spying on them!"

"Gah!" shouts Sokka. "I don't need this! I'm going outside for some air!"

Irritated, the young warrior marches outside and slams the door behind him. That, however, is when he hears screaming from the nearby nuns. A moment later he is able to understand why. Looming in the courtyard are Zuko and his Uncle. However, they aren't here alone. Accompanying them are a gigantic creepy mole-like creature, and a pale slender woman completely covered in black. Spotting Sokka, the scarred Fire Prince leaps off of the creature and marches toward him. In his hand is an all too familiar blue Water Tribe hairclip.

"You," he shouts out. "Where are the Avatar and the Intatar?"

* * *

Larissa and Haru walk through a trail in the woods carrying their luggage on their backs. After the initial excitement had ended, they decided amongst themselves that it would be best to grab their luggage while everyone else was gone and to sneak off. It would be too hard to explain why they're doing what they're doing to everyone, not to mention emotionally painful. Of course, judging by what happened earlier, it would be more than just _emotionally_ painful. Haru puts a finger to his bruised jaw line at the thought.

"Where were you planning on taking us?" Larissa asks the boy next to her.

Haru looks over at his future bride, smiling. "I was thinking of going to either Ba Sing Se or Omashu. We should be able to get a pretty good start there, not to mention that they're the two safest places in the world from the Fire Nation. The money I have should be enough to get us there and get us lined up with a place to stay."

Returning his smile the Intatar nods. "That sounds good. If we get jobs we should be able to support ourselves just fine."

"And the children," Haru adds teasingly.

Larissa's eyes widen. "Children? Oh no, not yet! We're fifteen!"

Haru chuckles. "Relax, Hana, I'm kidding."

"You'd better be," says Larissa jestingly. "One more crack like that, and we're going to an herbalist and buying Malbaine root."

From there the two continue down the path in silence. As they do so, Larissa can't help but feel a pang of regret. Perhaps this isn't the right thing to do after all… Oh well. What's done is done. Deciding that it's too late to turn back now, the girl keeps right on walking. Unless the universe sends something their way to deliberately stop them from going any further nothing is going to prevent this now. That, however, is when a noise comes from off in the distance; a loud one. Turning, Larissa sees what she never would've expected. June, her shirshu, and two familiar looking riders.

_"No way,"_ says the girl to herself. _"Katara never even lost her necklace. How is this even possible?!"_

Not having time to think of anything else, Larissa shouts out one command. "Run!"

Together the two fifteen-year-olds take off down the trail in a sprint. Of course, as luck would have it, this does them no good. Before they can travel more than five feet, June's shirshu strikes them with its long tongue instantaneously. A numb feeling coursing its way through her body, Larissa feels herself collapsing to the ground.

"So this is your girlfriend," says June. "No wonder she left. Pretty-boy over there is quite a catch."

"Yeah," Haru spats to the woman. "Thanks a lot."

"I don't understand," says Zuko. "The Intatar is here, so where's the Avatar?"

Feeling panicked, Larissa has absolutely no idea what she's going to do. Zuko could literally capture right now and there's nothing neither she nor Haru could do. Then, to both her joy and absolute displeasure, is when a familiar-sounding twelve-year-old voice calls down from the trees.

"Up here!" shouts the airbender.

Confused, Zuko looks up in the voice's direction. "Wha—"

While he's distracted a large torrent of water comes crashing out from the woods, knocking the Fire Prince and his allies halfway down the trail. It is only after that that Larissa's friends reveal themselves. Coming out of the forest are Aang and Katara followed by Sokka, Bato, Tyro, and several of the nuns. The first of them to speak is Sokka.

Pointing in the direction of the teens, he shouts, "See! Look! I told you I'm not crazy!"

From there an entire fight breaks out between them and Zuko which neither she nor Haru can participate in. Somehow during the battle they actually manage to win and drive them off. This being said, Larissa should feel overjoyed. However, she doesn't feel overjoyed. Instead the young blonde-headed girl feels ashamed, humiliated, and left answering _a lot _of questions.

* * *

One Painfully Humiliating Hour Later

"I'm sorry, Sokka. You were right and you're not crazy. Hana and Haru really _were _running off together to get married and have babies with long Haru pretty-boy hair!" says the waterbender in astonishment.

Katara, Aang, and Sokka turn to stare at Larissa from her place leaned up against the back of Appa's saddle. They don't stare at her harshly or condemningly. They simply look confused, hurt, and curious. Face turning scarlet, the Intatar buries her head in between her knees wordlessly. A moment later she feels as a body sits down beside her and puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Once the person speaks, Larissa realizes that it's Aang.

"I don't understand, Hana," says the monk. "Why would you elope with Haru after everything we've been through together?"

Sighing, she gives a response. "I don't know," she says. "I guess I was so happy that someone loved me enough to want to start a life with me that I turned selfish. My life has always been so focused on protecting others and saving the world that I never thought that love was possible for me. So I guess when the opportunity came I went and grabbed it without actually thinking it through. You have no idea how sorry I am."

Another person walks over and sits on her other side. This person is Katara. "It's okay, Hana. We're sorry, too. I guess with you being the Intatar and being put under so much pressure we didn't actually realize how stressed out you were."

"No," says Larissa, "You have no right to be sorry. This is on me. Instead of getting caught up in the moment and going with Haru, I should've set him straight right then and there. We've been through so much together that I never should've even considered leaving you like that. I admit that that was the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

Katara releases a chuckle. "Believe me, Hana. You're not alone. If Jet would've confessed his undying love to me and asked me to run away with him, I'm not sure I could've resisted either."

Calming down slightly, Larissa at last finds herself able to lift up her head. Katara and Aang lean against either side of her, comforting her. The only person left standing up in the saddle is Sokka. Slowly he takes a seat in front of her and gives his own input. He speaks just above a whisper.

"Hana, you know that we love you too, right?"

Curious, she cocks her head. "What?"

Hesitantly, he gives a small smile. "We, Katara, Aang, and myself, we love you too." The Water Tribe boy pauses before adding, "Also, I'm sorry I beat up Haru. I guess I didn't help the decision making process any by doing that. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Tyro's not too happy with me for destroying his son's beautiful face…"

Unable to hold back Larissa chuckles. "Come on, Sokka. I don't see why you hate him so much. Haru's not a bad guy."

"Well, yeah," Sokka teases. "Obviously _you_ think that! Besides, I should be upset with him. He almost took one of my closest friends away from me."

Her ears perk up at that last comment. "Closest friend?"

"Of course!" Sokka exclaims. "Hana, since the time we've met we've gone fishing together, got captured by gypsies and had to escape together, we saved a town from destruction by a lunatic, weathered a hurricane together, and got attacked by _ducks_. Any person who I have been through so many terrible situations with I'd consider a close friend."

Larissa can't help but smile. "Thanks, Sokka." A second later she adds, "You know even if Zuko hadn't attacked I probably would've ended up turning back anyway. To be honest, I was starting to feel unsure of my decision while we were walking down the path through the woods. Don't get me wrong. I like Haru, but thinking back, eloping and marriage does seem a bit…much."

Sokka, Aang, and Katara laugh.

"Does this mean the wedding is off?" asks Katara.

"Yeah, the wedding is off."

From there they continue their laughter. That is, until Aang voices a very interesting thought.

"Am I the only one who's wondering how Tyro feels about this?"

* * *

That Exact Same Moment

"Marriage, Haru? Are you insane?! Wait until your mother hears about this!"

Putting the small wooden bowl down in his lap, Haru looks up at his father pleadingly as he swallows the bitter tasting food.

"Dad, come on! I said I was sorry and that I was being stupid! Don't you forgive me?"

Clapping a hand on his son's shoulder, he smiles warmly. "Yes, Haru, I forgive you."

Happy, Haru smiles in return. "You really mean that?!"

Tyro's smile turns into a harsh frown. "Not yet I don't. Now keep eating!"

"But Dad," Haru complains, "This is the most ridiculous punishment ever! Doesn't this go against our village's constitution as cruel and unusual?"

"Yes it does. Now eat your sea prunes!"

Nodding, Haru shoves another spoonful of the disgusting food into his mouth. How the people in the Water Tribes stomach this garbage he'll never know. Then, to his dismay, he hears as his father shouts a command to the Water Tribe man behind him.

"He's almost out, Bato! Whip up another batch!"

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, I know what you're thinking. Weirdest chapter ever! Even so, I couldn't help myself. The idea of Haru coming back out of the clear blue just struck me, and I had to do it! Although, I never initially planned on Haru and Larissa almost getting married... The story kind of took over and did that on its own... Either way, that was the chapter. Do you love me or hate me, I guess Ill never know. Well, unless you review... (*hint hint* ;P) Well, that's it for now. Until my next update I am bloodbender33 and forever an ATLA lover! **_

_**Also, this is very beside the point, but I actually got all five seasons of Teen Titans on DVD recently and have been watching them. While watching them I got this awesome idea for a Teen Titans fanfiction. I already have some of it prewritten, though I have yet to start posting. If you like Teen Titans and like fanfictions then keep an eye out. It's another OC fanfiction and will be titled "Let the Fire Burn". I hope you decide to take a look at it once I start posting! :)**_


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